criminal law

bargain

The term “bargain” appears in two specific legal contexts:

The first is contract law, where a bargain is defined as a voluntary agreement between two parties in exchange for consideration. Consideration, here, can be money,...

barratry

Barratry is the act of encouraging lawsuits between others in order to create legal business for one’s personal gain and profit. Barratry is illegal in all U.S. states. Attorneys who are found guilty of barratry will be subject to criminal...

Batson challenge

The Batson challenge refers to the act of objecting the validity of a peremptory challenge, on grounds that the other party used it to exclude a potential juror based on race, ethnicity, or sex. The result of a successful Batson challenge...

battery

Tort Law

Battery is an intentional tort. When a person intentionally causes harmful or offensive contact with another person, the act is battery. However, if the plaintiff expressly consented to such an act or gave implied consent by...

bench warrant

A bench warrant is a process or a legal document issued by the court itself or from the “bench” for the detainment or arrest of a person in a criminal or civil court proceeding, either in a case of contempt, especially when the criminal...

bias

A bias is to exhibit a pre-existing inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something.

In the context of evidence in criminal law, bias is used to describe the relationship between a party and a witness which...

bill of attainder

A bill of attainder is a piece of legislation that declares a party is guilty of a crime. Bills of attainder allow the government to punish a party for a perceived crime without first going through the trial process.

In the...

biological experiments

Generally, biological experiments are experiments conducted on people without their consent; however, they defined contextually based on what is occurring in the present situation. For instance, in Perez v. Sharp, the forced sterilization of...

blanket search warrant

A blanket search warrant is a broad authorization from a judge that allows the police to search multiple areas for evidence without specifying exactly what they are looking for and seize everything found.

The Fourth...

blind tiger

Blind tiger is a place where liquor is sold illegally. This term was popular during the Prohibition Era (1920-33) when alcohol was illegal in the U.S. and it derives its name from the practice of disguising bars as establishments exhibiting...

Pages