An autocracy is a political regime where a single individual - an autocrat - holds the power, qualified as personal and absolute power. The autocrat’s power covers all political, economic, social, and military power. In this political regime...
government
avulsion
Avulsion refers to water quickly submerging land or moving land to another location. In most situations under state property law, land moved by avulsion continues to be the property of the owner of where the land originally was located. For...
aye
“Aye” is an affirmative response that could be used as an exclamation, a noun, or an adverb.
If used as an exclamation, "aye" has the same meaning as “yes,” which expresses assent to something. For example, one could use it as...Baker v. Carr (1962)
Baker v. Carr (1962) is the U.S. Supreme Court case that held that federal courts could hear cases alleging that a state’s drawing of electoral boundaries, i.e. redistricting, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment...
balancing test
A “balancing test” is defined as a subjective test with which a court weighs competing interests. For instance, a court would weigh the interest between an inmate's liberty interest and the government's interest in public safety, to decide...
ballot
Ballot has a variety of meanings: 1) a method or process of casting a vote, 2) the actual paper, card, or machine that indicates a voter’s choices in an election, 3) the total number of votes cast in an election, and 4) a list of candidates...
bankruptcy court
There are 94 federal judicial districts. Each of these districts handle bankruptcy matters. Bankruptcy courts refer to the courts in each district that specifically hear bankruptcy cases. In almost every district, bankruptcy courts hear...
bankruptcy power
The United States Constitution authorizes Congress under Article I, Section 8, Clause 4 with the power to “establish uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States." The bankruptcy laws that Congress makes have to be...
BCRA
Overview:
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) was signed into law in March of 2002. On the same day that BCRA became official federal policy, Senator Mitch McConnell and the National Rifle Association (NRA) both filed complaints...
bench trial
Bench trial refers to the type of trial that does not involve a jury but is conducted by the judge alone, in which the judge both decides the facts of the case and applies the law. The word bench in the law is in reference to the judge, so a...