The Law Dictionary for Everyone
The term “false accusation” refers to an accusation of wrongdoing that is false, or untrue. An example of false accusation would be for a woman to accuse a man of raping her when he did nothing of the sort. Telling a false accusation is a crime punishable with jail time, particularly if the person lies to police or while under […]
Read moreThe term civic duty refers to a responsibility expected from all members of a society. It follows the principle that citizens have an obligation to serve their society. In return, they receive certain rights and protections. An example of civic duty is serving on a jury. To explore this concept, consider the following civic duty definition. Definition of Civic Duty […]
Read moreThe term “hypothecation” describes the transaction a person makes when he puts up an asset as collateral but still owns that asset. A common example of this is a mortgage. While a person still owns his house, he uses the house as collateral in order to secure the bank’s approval to take out a mortgage. To explore this concept, consider […]
Read moreThe term contraband is a term used to describe illicit goods and generally refers to items imported or exported illegally. Contra means “against” and bando means “ban,” so in simple terms, contraband means “against a ban.” An example of contraband is a drug carried across the United States border. To explore this concept, consider the following contraband definition. Definition of […]
Read moreThe term “willful” describes the intentional, deliberate acts a person engages in for the purpose of reaching a goal. Willful, in the legal world, usually describes something that someone meant to do and that is illegal. For example, if someone is willful in his decision to engage in road rage, this means that he knew that what he was doing […]
Read moreThe term “extradition” refers to the sending back of a person to his home country or state upon the discovery that he has committed a crime. For example, extradition occurs when State A receives a request from State B to return an individual to State B so he can appear for trial. A situation wherein this would occur is if […]
Read moreThe term “presumption” in the legal sense refers to a conclusion an individual makes based on a set of facts, coupled with his logic and reasoning, as well as the laws relevant to the case. In other words, a presumption is a rule that allows a court to assume a fact is true unless there is evidence to prove otherwise. […]
Read moreThe term “plausible deniability” refers to the ability of an individual to deny knowing about something nefarious because there is no proof to the contrary. For example, plausible deniability can protect people who were either personally involved or willfully disregarded something illegal or unethical if there is no evidence showing they knew about it. High-ranking individuals may claim plausible deniability […]
Read moreThe term “public policy” refers to a set of actions the government takes to address issues within society. For example, public policy addresses problems over the long-term, such as issues with healthcare or gun control, and as such, it can take years to develop. Public policy addresses issues that affect a wider swath of society, rather than those pertaining to […]
Read moreThe term posse comitatus describes a group of able-bodied people formed – usually by a sheriff – for the purpose of defending the country, or to prevent others from breaking the law. Authorities no longer rely on posse comitatus, though the concept still exists as part of the American legal system. For example, a posse comitatus formed up in 2018, and […]
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