English Vocabulary in Use - 43 The letter of the law

to bent the law/rules

to break the law/rules in a way that is considered not to be very harmful

to contravene a law

to break a law

to infringe a law/rule

to break a law/rule

to impeach a president/governor

to make a formal statement saying that a person in public office has committed a serious offence

to lodge an appeal

to make an official request that a previous judgement should be changed

to uphold/ overturn a verdict

to say that a previous decision in court was correct/incorrect

to pervert the course of justice

to make it difficult for justice to be done

to qaush a conviction

to change a previous official decision that someone was guilty

to set a precendent

to establish a decision which must usually, in English law, be taken into account in future decisions

to award/grant custody to

to give one parent or adult the main responsibility for a child, especially after separation or divorce

to annul an agreement/marriage/law

to declare that it no longer exists and never existed

to sue

to take legal action against someone

to allege

to say that someone has done something illegal without giving proof

amend

to make changes to a law

discrimination

unfair treatment on grounds of sex, race or nationality

embezzlement

stealing money that belongs to an organisation that you work for

harassment

putting undue pressure on someone, e.g. for sexual reasons or to get a debt paid

insider trading/dealing

illegal buying and selling of shares by someone who has specialist knowledge of a company

money laundering

moving money obtained illegally so that its origin cannot be traced

perjury

lying when under oath

stalking

following someone or giving them unwanted or obsessive attention

trespass/ trespassing

go onto someone else’s land without permission

law-abiding

someone who always obeys the law

law-breaker

someone who – often and deliberately – does not obey the law

take the law into your own hands

you do something illegal to punish someone because you feel the legal system will not punish that person

lay down the law

you say with great force what you think should happen

a law unto himself/herself

he or she behaves in a way which is independent and not the way in which most other people behave