Obscure Legal Latin
Latin for "friend of the court," this refers to someone who offers information to assist the court but is not a party to the case.
What is amicus curiae?
In Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), the Supreme Court ruled that this constitutional amendment guarantees the right to counsel in felony cases.
What is the Sixth Amendment?
In Arizona, it is illegal for a donkey to do this activity in a bathtub.
What is Sleep?
This constitutional amendment protects against double jeopardy.
What is the Fifth Amendment?
This term refers to a legal doctrine where courts follow precedents set by previous decisions.
What is stare decisis?
This Latin phrase refers to an error so fundamental that it affects the very foundation of a case
What is fundamentum erroris?
This 1978 case ruled that race can be a factor in college admissions but not the sole determining factor.
What is Regents of the University of California v. Bakke?
In Oklahoma, you can be fined for making this facial gesture at a dog.
What is making an ugly face?
The exclusionary rule was first applied to state courts in this 1961 case.
What is Mapp v. Ohio?
In civil cases, this standard of proof is required to win.
What is preponderance of the evidence?
This term means “by the court,” used for an opinion issued collectively and anonymously by a court.
What is per curiam?
In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Court struck down a key provision of this landmark civil rights law.
What is the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
In Georgia, it is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket on this day.
What is Sunday?
Under the Miranda ruling, a suspect must be informed of these two key rights before custodial interrogation.
What are the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney?
This legal term refers to someone who dies without a will.
What is intestate?
Latin for "he who seeks equity must do equity," it expresses this foundational equitable principle.
What is qui vult aequitatem, aequitatem faciat?
This 1937 case upheld Congress’s power to regulate labor conditions under the Commerce Clause.
What is NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp.?
In Missouri, this food cannot be called "meat" if it doesn't come from slaughtered animals.
What is plant-based meat or lab-grown meat?
The doctrine of "inevitable discovery" was established in this 1984 case.
What is Nix v. Williams?
This clause of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to execute its duties
What is the Necessary and Proper Clause (also acceptable: the Elastic Clause or Article I, Section 8, Clause 18)?
Meaning “from the beginning,” this Latin phrase is often used to describe a contract void due to illegality.
What is void ab initio?
This case from 1905, later heavily criticized, struck down a New York labor law limiting bakers’ working hours.
What is Lochner v. New York?
In Vermont, women must obtain their husband’s written permission to wear this dental appliance.
What are false teeth (dentures)?
This rule governs the use of statements obtained in violation of a suspect’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel.
What is the Massiah rule (from Massiah v. United States)?
This term refers to a court order requiring a party to appear in court or produce documents, often under threat of penalty.
What is a subpoena?