The Law Dictionary for Everyone
The meaning of RICO law, or the “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act,” is that it is a law that allows authorities to punish offenders engaging in criminal activities, particularly racketeering. For example, RICO law punishes crime bosses who order their subordinates to carry out criminal activities for them. Else, these bosses could claim innocence because they technically were not […]
Read moreA Stand Your Ground Law is a law that allows citizens to protect themselves if they feel their lives are in danger, regardless of whether they could have safely exited the situation. For example, Stand Your Ground law states that no one should feel forced to leave a premises they have every right to be in. Therefore, the law allows […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Breed v. Jones, 421 U.S. 519 (1975) Case Summary of Breed v. Jones: A 17-year-old was adjudicated delinquent in juvenile court, and then later tried as an adult in criminal court for the same robbery offense. The 17-year-old Respondent’s petition for habeas relief was denied in State court prior to his adult criminal trial. […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Vacco v. Quill, 521 U.S. 793 (1997) Case Summary of Vacco v. Quill: New York makes it a crime to assist someone with suicide. However, it is legal for a patient to refuse life-saving treatment. New York doctors and several terminally ill patients sued in federal court, claiming that the ban on physician-assisted suicide […]
Read moreThe term “asset forfeiture” refers to the property the state confiscates from a defendant after a criminal or civil conviction. For example, asset forfeiture occurs when the state confiscates an expensive car from a drug dealer. The state then puts these items up for auction and uses the proceeds to both repay the victims of the crime and to fund […]
Read moreThe meaning of “Zero Tolerance law” is that people will suffer automatic punishments by law as a result of engaging in a particular kind of behavior. For example, Zero Tolerance law in the U.S. refers to driving while under the influence of alcohol and while underage. In other words, Zero Tolerance laws make it illegal for any driver under the […]
Read moreThe meaning of flagrante delicto lies in its Latin origin, which, in the law, refers to catching someone in the act of committing a crime. In flagrante delicto and in flagrante are additional ways of describing such a situation. For example, flagrante delicto exists when a convenience store clerk comes back from the bathroom to find a robber stealing money […]
Read moreThe term “profiteering” refers to the act of making a large or unfair profit by sketchy means. An example of profiteering is pay-day loans, which typically come with exorbitant interest rates that make them difficult to pay back. The company offering the loan then makes an unfair profit because of their inflated interest rates. To explore this concept, consider the […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for United States v. O’Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968) Case Summary of United States v. O’Brien: Respondent O’Brien burned his draft card to protest the Vietnam War. He was ultimately convicted of violating a federal law, making it a crime to “knowingly destroy” a draft card. The District Court rejected O’Brien’s argument that the law […]
Read moreFollowing is the case brief for Minnesota v. Dickerson, 508 U.S. 366 (1993) Case Summary of Minnesota v. Dickerson: Dickerson left a building known for drug trafficking and was stopped by police. The officer conducted a Terry stop and frisk. He felt a lump in Dickerson’s pocket. He manipulated the lump further in the pocket to determine that it was […]
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