A burden is a generic term referring to a restriction on a use or activity. Often, the term arises in property law. For instance, real property may carry an intangible burden in the form of covenants or easements. These burdens generally...
the Constitution
Bush v. Gore (2000)
Bush v. Gore (2000) is the Supreme Court case regarding Florida’s recount of the presidential election ballots in the year 2000.
Petitioner, George W. Bush, won the 25 electoral votes in Florida (and thus the presidential...
capital offense
A capital offense is a criminal charge that is punishable by the death penalty. It is not necessary that the actual punishment imposed was the death penalty, but rather a capital office is classified as such if the permissible punishment...
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...census
A "census" is the official counting or enumeration of the people of a state, nation, district, or other political subdivision with details of their characteristics. The census is used to determine the allocation of seats in the United States House of...
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...
channels
In the context of transportation; channels are the highways, waterways, and air traffic of the country.
See also: Instrumentalities
[Last updated in July of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
Chinese Exclusion Act
The Chinese Exclusion Act, signed into law on May 6, 1882, by President Chester A. Arthur, was an act of the Congress which effectively terminated Chinese immigration for ten years and prohibited the Chinese from becoming U.S. citizens. All...
church and state
Church and State is defined as a legal doctrine that provides for the separation of the State from religion in the United States. The doctrine is derived from the landmark US Supreme Court case Everson v. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1. In...
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.
[Last...