Written statements submitted to the court outlining a party`s legal or factual allegations about the case. On May 26, Justice Stephen G. Breyer also criticized Chief Justice Roberts for turning to a dictionary in a case about tough penalties for companies that hire illegal workers. “Neither the dictionary definitions nor the use of the word `license` in an independent statute,” Judge Breyer wrote, “can show what scope Congress intended the word `license` to be, as it used that word in this federal law.” The legal power of a court to hear and decide a particular type of case. It is also used as a synonym for jurisdiction, i.e. the geographical area over which the court has territorial jurisdiction to rule on cases. J. Gordon Christy, a professor at Mississippi College School of Law, investigated the scene in 2006 and didn`t like what he saw. “We are being treated,” Mr.

Christy wrote in the Mississippi Law Journal, “to the truly absurd spectacle of judges and noble judges arguing over which unreliable dictionary and definition should be considered authoritative.” Judges trying to discern the original meaning of the Constitution sometimes consult older dictionaries, which makes sense because usage may have changed over time. Marquette study authors Jeffrey L. Kirchmeier and Samuel A. Thumma said the judges never really said exactly what dictionary definitions do in legal opinions. They asked the judges to explain “when and how dictionaries should be used, how a particular dictionary should be chosen, and how a dictionary should be used for interpretation.” Legitimacy is an old concept in traditional Western common law regarding the status of children at birth. Illegitimate children, children born to unmarried parents, were often referred to as bastards or children of love. The purpose of this concept was related to the inheritance of paternal succession. Today, this concept of legitimacy in relation to the status of the child in general has fallen into disuse. Legitimacy is also a term sometimes used in criminal law or other areas of law.

In particular, it is sometimes used in this context to distinguish that an action may be legitimate but not legal, or vice versa. In simpler reasoning, laws should be followed because they are the right thing to do, or rather, legitimate. According to this logic, the law is sometimes not the right thing to do, or rather illegitimate. The Comprehensive Health Care Reform Bill enacted in March 2010 (sometimes known as ACA, PPACA or “Obamacare”). A full-time lawyer hired by federal courts to legally defend defendants who cannot afford a lawyer. The judiciary administers the Federal Defence Counsel Programme in accordance with criminal law. Non-insolvency proceedings in which an applicant or creditor attempts to submit its claim to a debtor`s future wages. In other words, the creditor requests that part of the debtor`s future salary be paid to him for a debt owed to him. These sample phrases are automatically selected from various online information sources to reflect the current use of the word “sometimes”.

The views expressed in the examples do not represent the views of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us your feedback. “I think it`s probably wrong in almost any situation to use a dictionary in the courtroom,” said Jesse Sheidlower, editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. “Dictionary definitions are written with many things, but strictly limiting the exact meaning and connotation of terms is usually not one of them.” Legitimate has several legal meanings. When used as an adjective, it means legal or right. It may also refer to a person with a legal parentage or legitimate problem, meaning they were not born out of wedlock. In other words, his parents were married at birth. A written statement filed in court or an appeal that explains a party`s legal and factual arguments. This is EXACTLY what I was taught! In fact, it bothers me that it doesn`t seem to be a well-known thing and that it is used so vaguely that it is widely misinterpreted when used correctly. I`ve gotten to the point where when I start a new job/relationship (boyfriend or not), at some point I clarify the definition so we can be on the same page.

It`s nice to find someone who knows and confirms what I`ve been taught. A colloquial term sometimes used to refer to a litigant. It is a corruption of the Latin expression “in propria persona”. An action brought by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a claim that the defendant failed to comply with a legal obligation that caused harm to the plaintiff. When used as a verb, it means to do or legitimize something. In simpler terms, it means doing something right or legal. For example, legitimizing a child means giving that child born to unmarried parents the same legitimately recognized status as a child born to married parents. The study of law and the structure of the legal system The law as established in previous judicial decisions. Synonymous with precedent. Similar to the common law, which stems from tradition and judicial decisions.