To authorize means to grant authority; to empower. It may also mean to formally or officially approve.
[Last updated in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]
appellate procedure
avowal
Avowal is a declaration made by an attorney during the trial process. This is an open declaration by an attorney representing a party in a lawsuit, made after the jury has been removed from the courtroom, that requests the admission of...
bill of exceptions
Bill of exceptions is a formal written document in which a party objects to a judge's decision or relevant evidence at trial. A bill of exceptions should include the party's objections and their basis, signed by the judge and filed with the...
Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA)
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA) is an administrative appeals board of the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) that adjudicates U.S. military veterans’ claims regarding veteran benefits, such as disability compensation, medical...
capricious
To be capricious is to have an unpredictable, sudden, and unaccountable change in attitude or behavior.
In the legal context, capricious is defined in Boothe v. Roofing Supply, Inc. of Monroe: “arbitrary and capricious...
caption
Caption is a heading required on all pleadings (court documents) submitted to the court.
The caption or title of a pleading is the heading or introductory clause which shows the name, address, telephone number of the...
case
A case is a civil or criminal proceeding at law or in equity. It can also be referred to as an action, suit, or controversy, depending on the jurisdiction and the nature of the dispute.
A civil case normally involves two parties with...case of first impression
A case of first impression is a case that presents a legal issue that has never been decided by the governing jurisdiction. An example is the 1978 Supreme Court case Monell v. Department of Soc. Svcs. which decided whether local governments were...
certiorari
Overview
Certiorari simply defined is a “writ” by which a higher court (such as an appellate court) reviews some lower court’s decision (such as a district court).
When a party loses in a court of law, often said party is...
circuit riding
Circuit riding is the act undertaken by judges, who would often travel between towns within a judicial district (previously known as a circuit) to hear cases in each town. Now, this practice has largely been discontinued.
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