Latin Legal Terms (copy)

a vinculo matrimonii

from the bond of marriage, of a divorce.

bona fide

good faith, honesty.

corpus delecti

the body of the crime.

ipso facto

by the fact itself.

non sui juris

not of one's own right; lacking legal age or capacity.

quid pro quo

one equivalent for another.

subpoena duces tecum

ordering a witness to appear and bring specified documents.

voir dire

speak the truth; jury selection; can also refer to the examination of expert witnesses as to their competency/qualifications.

ad damnum

the clause of a writ (declaration) claiming damages.

ad hoc

for only the particular case at hand.

ad litem

for the purposes of the suit.

a fortiori

with greater reason or more convincing force.

aliunde

from another source.

amicus curiae

friend of the court; one who volunteers information with the court's permission.

ante

listed prior in the same index/material.

causa mortis

in contemplation of death.

caveat emptor

let the buyer beware.

certiorari

a writ of review or inquiry by which a higher court reviews the action of a lower court for further information.

res ipsa loquitur

the thing speaks for itself.

detente

to ease hostility/strained relations, especially politically and between countries.

de facto

in fact, in deed, actually.

de jure

legitimate; lawful; total compliance with all requirements of the law.

de minimis

insignificant; minute; frivolous.

de novo

dictum

e.g.

exempli gratia (for example)

en banc

all of the judges of one court sitting together.

et al.

and others.

et seq.

and following.

et ux.

and wife.

ex officio

by virtue of holding a certain office.

ex parte

by or for one person, not adversary.

ex relatione

upon relation; legal proceedings brought forth in the name and behalf of the state, but on the instigation of an individual who has a private interest in the matter (i.e. State ex rel Roe v. Wade).

guardian ad litem

appointed to protect a minor defendant's interest during a specific litigation.

habeas corpus

writ for the release of a prisoner.

i.e.

id est; that is

in camera

in chambers

in facie curiae

in the face of the court.

in forma pauperis

permission given to an indigent person to proceed without liability for court fees.

infra

below; later in this document.

in limine

preliminary; at the very beginning; at the threshold.

in personam

against a person to impose a liability or obligation.

in re

in the matter of; concerning.

inter alia

among other things

inter vivos

among the living; done during lifetime.

judge pro tem

lawyer appointed by a judge to sit on the bench when regular judge cannot.

jurat

acknowledgement; place on document for signatures to be notarized.

lex loci

the law of the place.

lis pendens

a pending lawsuit.

mala fides

with bad faith.

mandamus

order of a higher court directing a lower court to take a certain action.

mesne

intermediate.

motion in limine

"threshold"; a motion made at the beginning of the trial requesting that certain evidence not be admissible.

nisi prius

trial court tried by jury as opposed to appellate court.

nolle prosequi (also nolle pros)

entry into the record that the plaintiff/prosecutor will no longer pursue the suit.

nolo contendere

"I do not contest the claim".

non compos mentis

not of sound mind.

non sequitur

fallacy; it does not follow.

nunc pro tunc

entered at a time subsequent with retroactive effect.

pendente lite

while suit is pending.

per capita

by the head.

praecipe

various writs commanding a person to do something or appear or show cause why they should not.

prima facie

on the first appearance; will suffice until contradicted or overcome by other evidence.

pro hac vice

for this occasion.

pro se

for oneself

pro tem

for the time being; temporarily.

reductio ad absurdum

disproving an argument by showing that it leads to an absurd consequence.

res

literally; the thing (i.e. the trust res is the property held in trust).

res gestae

things done; acts/declarations admissible in evidence, forming the environment of a litigated issue; exception to the hearsay rule.

res judicata

a former controversial point now judicially settled.

sic

thus in the original; exact replication.

sine qua non

the essential element.

stare decisis

the rule of precedent; what is decided now will be applied in the future.

sua sponte

of its own will.

subpoena ad testificandum

subpoena to testify.

sui juris

of one's own right.

suo nomine

in one's own name.

supersedeas bond

requiring one party to set aside a judgment or execution to would make the other party whole if the action is unsuccessful.

supra

above, earlier in this document.

ultra vires

outside the scope of authority to act.

venire

an entire panel from which a jury is drawn.

viz

videlicet; namely.

fiat

let it be done; official endorsement

in extremis

at the point of death

fait accompli

an accomplished fact

cum laude

of the highest degree

et vir

and husband

ex rel

on behalf of

flagrante delicto

wrongdoer caught red-handed

femme sole

an unmarried woman

obiter dictum

a thing said by the Court in passing

ad valorem

according to the value; imposed as a rate of value