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5, 25 Latin Legal Terms You Should Know
5, 25 Latin Legal Terms You Should Know
5, 25 Latin Legal Terms You Should Know
Ab initio
Often used in reference to contracts, ab
If a contract is entered under false pretenses, a judge can
initio means a court decision is applied to
(From the From the beginning. decide that the contract never existed and is therefore
the start of the issue as opposed to when
beginning) nonbinding.
problems arose.
Ad hoc For the particular end or When there is an issue or problem that
An ad-hoc committee handled energy-related matters
(To this) case at hand without can’t be solved by an existing group, a
before the U.S. House of Representatives created a
consideration of wider new one is created to deal with that
permanent committee in 1977.
application. specific purpose.
Bona fide
(In good Characterized by good Bona fide is often used to describe a In Alabama, companies who want to hold a “going out of
faith) faith and lack of fraud person or company that does something business” sale can only receive a license if they are
or deceit. with legitimate intentions. genuinely going out of business.
The substance of a
crime that the
prosecutor must prove
Corpus delicti and that consists of an
(Body of the The main facts surrounding a case that In contemporary times, corpus delicti has also been used
injury or loss (as death
crime) proves to a judge or jury that a crime did to refer to physical evidence in a crime, such as a victim’s
of a victim or
occur. body in a murder.
disappearance of
property) and the
criminal act that
resulted in it.
De jure
(By right) Concerns something that exists with A de jure government is one that’s codified and enshrined
By right: of right.
authority from the law. by national laws, proving that it is legal and legitimate.
On behalf of or
Ex parte involving only one
In some instances, there may be a situation in a court case
(On behalf of) party to a legal matter A ruling or motion made by just one
with an ex parte proceeding, in which only one side is
and in the absence of party in a dispute.
involved.
and usually without
notice to the other party.
Ex post facto
(After the The U.S. Constitution forbids the use of ex post
A recent ruling that will be applied
fact) After the fact. facto laws made by the U.S. Congress and individual
retroactively.
states.
In loco
parentis Some states allow people considered in loco parentis to
(In the place When someone other than the biological
In the place of a parent. have visitation rights, or to consent to medical treatment
of parents) parent assumes responsibility for a minor.
of a minor.
Ipso facto
(By the very By that very fact or
If someone is born in the U.S., ipso facto they have a U.S.
fact) act: As an inevitable Like the English word “therefore.”
Social Security number.
result.
Locus in quo
(Place in A crime scene can be either where the crime took place or
The place where a legal
which) The scene of a crime. any location where evidence pertaining to the crime is
cause of action arose.
found.
Knowledge of the
nature of one’s act or
Scienter Scienter means having guilty knowledge,
omission or of the An example of scienter can be seen in lemon laws, which
(Knowingly) either in committing a crime or
nature of something in protects consumers from purchasing a vehicle that
withholding knowledge or evidence of
one’s possession that is doesn’t live up to manufacturer warranty claims.
one.
often a necessary
element of an offense.
25 Latin Legal Terms You Should Know - provided by Merriam-Webster’s legal dictionary.