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Most Popular Legal Definitions
misdemeanor
A crime of lesser seriousness than a felony where the punishment might be a fine
or prison for less than one year.
lien
A property right which remains attached to an object that has been sold, but not
totally paid for, until complete payment has been made.
M.O
slang for modus operandi, the way or pattern in which a repeat criminal usually
commits his/her crime.
security deposit
Money paid to another to be held as security for
the occurrence of a specified event.
resisting arrest
the knowing and physical resistance to a lawful arrest
pornography
Portrayal of sexual acts solely for the purpose of sexual arousal.
probation
A punishment given out as part of a sentence
which means that instead of jailing a person convicted of a crime, a judge will
order that the person reports to a probation officer regularly.
enactment
law or statute; a document which is published as
an enforceable set of written rules is said to be enacted
authorities
1) previous decisions by courts of appeal which
provide legal guidance to a court on questions in a current lawsuit, which are
called "precedents;" legal briefs (written arguments) are often called "points
and authorities; thus, a lawyer "cites" the previously decided cases as
"authorities" for his/her legal positions 2) a common term for law enforcement,
as in "I'm going to call the authorities" (i.e. police)
open adoption
a type of adoption; becoming legal parent to an individual where information
about and, at times, access from the biological parents is permitted