Admit or admitting refers to a statement made by an individual to confirm the truthfulness of a claim. In criminal law, admitting to a fact also serves as a confession of guilt. Following Alexander v. State, an admission is an...
the Constitution
advisory opinion
An advisory opinion is a court's nonbinding interpretation of law. It states the opinion of a court upon a legal question submitted by a legislature, government official, or another court. Parties seeking advisory opinions tend to do so to...
advocacy of illegal action
The advocacy of illegal action is a category of speech not protected by the First Amendment. It is also sometimes referred to as the advocacy of illegal conduct.
First addressed in Whitney v. California (1927), the Supreme...
affiant
An affiant is a person who is the author of an affidavit, who swears to the truth and accuracy of the statements made in the affidavit.
The person making the signed statement (affiant) takes an oath that the contents are...
affidavit
An affidavit is a sworn statement a person makes before a notary or officer of the court outside of the court asserting that certain facts are true to the best of that person’s knowledge. Affidavits by both plaintiff/prosecution and defense...
affirm
There are several, related usages of the word “affirm” in a legal context; but, generally it means “to confirm or ratify.” Common occurrences of this word include:
An appellate court can affirm the ruling that was the subject of the appeal...affirmative action
Affirmative action is defined as a set of procedures designed to; eliminate unlawful discrimination among applicants, remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future. Applicants may be seeking...
aggravating circumstances
Aggravating circumstances refers to the factors that increase the severity or culpability of a criminal act. Typically, the presence of an aggravating circumstance will lead to a harsher penalty for a convicted criminal.
...
alcohol
Alcohol is a set of chemical compounds consumed as a liquid by individuals for its intoxicating effect or used in industrial projects for its other unique properties.
Absent any specific regulation, alcohol is treated like...
alien
Alien is a legal term that refers to any person who is not a citizen or a national of the United States, as listed in the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). There are different categories of aliens: resident and nonresident, immigrant and...