Historic J - P

Historic/Latin Terminology

Jurat

[s]he swears - the clause at the end of a sworn statement showing when, where, and by whom the statement was signed under penalty of perjury

laches

lax, loose, slack - omissions, neglect, or failure to perform a duty or to assert a right

lex scripta

written law- statutory law versus common law or ancient customs

lis pendens

pending lawsuit

magna cum laude

with great praise - an honor granted with a college degree

malum in se [singular] mala prohibita [plural]

wrong or evil in itself - moral wrong forbidden wrongs[s] - acts forbidden by statutory law

mea culpa

my fault - an admission of negligence

mens

mind - a person’s intention, knowledge, meaning

mens rea

a guilty mind - having criminal intent

mens sana in corpore sano

a healthy mind in a healthy body

minutia [singular] minutiae [plural]

small - trivial or insignificant details

ne plus ultra

nothing further, not beyond here - a point beyond which one cannot go any further

nolle prosequi

we shall no longer prosecute - which is a declaration made to the judge by a prosecutor in a criminal case (or by a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit) either before or during trial, meaning the case against the defendant is being dropped.

nolo contendere

I will not fight [contest] it - a criminal plea neither admitting nor denying the charges, but accepting consequences. This avoids future civil liability

non compos mentis

not of sound mind

non obstante

notwithstanding, nevertheless - a judgement non obstante veredicto (N.O.V) overturns a jury’s verdict

non sequitur

it is not to be followed - a conclusion which does not follow logically from what it is based on; an assertion which does not flow from a preceding fact

nunc pro tunc

now for then - phase applied to acts performed with retroactive effect, often to cure an obvious defect, such as an erroneous date in a document: Attorneys from other states can appear nunc pro tunc for a client if permitted by the court

parol

a spoken word - expressed by speech only, as opposed to evidenced by documents [distinguish this from the word parole}

pendente lite

during suit - happening during litigation

per capita

by the heads - according to the numbers of people involved, equal shares

per centum [per cent.]

by a hundred - a percentage

per curiam

by the court - a decision not accompanied by a written opinion. The opinion of an appellate court en banc, verses one written by a single judge

per se

in and of itself

post hoc

after this - after this time, hereafter

postmortem

after death - postmortem [autopsy] by a coroner

prima facie

first appearance - at first sight, appearing to be so, at least on first impression

pro bono

for the good [for the pubic good] - services performed free of charge

pro forma

for the sake of form - a formality, a perfunctory act or a standard document

pro hac vice

for this turn - for a particular occasion, only this once

pro rata

according to [by] calculation - in proportion, a proportional division

pro se

for himself- representing him/herself without an attorney

pro tem. [pro tempore]

for a time - a temporary substitute, a provisional act