Law Slang, Jargon, and New Words from Double-Tongued Dictionary

Law, courts, legal matters, etc. You can also see entries assigned to this category.

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court stripping n. Though Mr. DeLay in previous years has raised impeachment as a possibility, his recent focus is for Congress to limit judges’ jurisdiction—"court stripping” in the parlance of opponents. [English Law Politics] [full cite] (Apr. 10, 2005)

crack tax n. Another segment would update what some refer to as the state’s “crack tax,” changing the state levy for full marijuana plants. The state already requires drug dealers to buy tax stamps similar to those found on cigarettes or legal alcohol. If dealers don’t have the tax stamps to prove they paid the tax—currently $50 per gram of cocaine or $3.50 per gram of marijuana—Revenue Department agents can seize and auction off anything of value the person owns. [English Drugs Law Money & Finance] [full cite] (May. 24, 2006)

cram-down n. The Winn-Dixie bankruptcy case is barreling toward the stage that bankruptcy lawyers affectionately call the cram-down. That’s when creditors, bankers, bondholders, vendors, landlords and stockholders wrestle over how much of the company’s assets are left to split up and who’s going to eat how much of the shortfall. [English Law Money & Finance] [full cite] (Feb. 5, 2006)

CSI effect n. Juries, swayed by the special effects and scripts of television, have in some instances come to expect more evidence than is really necessary to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It is a phenomenon that has actually come to be known as “the CSI effect” in law enforcement parlance. [English Law Police] [full cite] (Aug. 3, 2005)

CSI effect n. Lawyers, for their part, are taking steps to counter what they call the “C.S.I. effect,” when juries become overly impressed by forensic evidence. During jury selection, it is not uncommon for them to ask potential jurors about their television-watching preferences to weed out those who seem unable to separate fact from fiction. [English Crime & Prisons Law] [full cite] (Jan. 29, 2007)

cutter court n. After lunch, the staff are told the court computer system has gone down, meaning serious delays. The custody court—or “cutter court,” as it’s known by prisoners and staff—is likely to go on until 9pm at least. [English Scotland Crime & Prisons Law Slang] [full cite] (Dec. 10, 2007)

damming warrant n. Napolitano said a practice known as “damming warrants” has resulted in the state seizing $15 million in the last year from 12,400 wire transfers. The name comes from the procedure which allows state prosecutors to get a court order to “dam” up wire transfers unless and until the person to whom the money was sent can show the cash is for a legal purpose. [English Law Money & Finance] [full cite] (Mar. 27, 2006)

dead hand n. Helmsley’s instructions illustrate many of the ethical difficulties with wills. We live in a free society and generally agree that a person can do anything they want with their money while alive, assuming it’s legal. But there are various restrictions on what people can do with their money after they die. The law tries to prevent what is called a “dead hand,” someone exercising control from the grave. [English Law] [full cite] (Jul. 11, 2008)

deep pocket rule n. The common law rule of joint and several liability makes each defendant in a tort lawsuit liable for the entire amount of plaintiff’s damages. The rule is sometimes called the “deep pocket” rule. [English Law Money & Finance] [full cite] (Feb. 5, 2006)

dementia americana n. “Ah, gentlemen,” said Mr. Delmas, dramatically, turning to the alienists who testified for the prosecution, “if you desire a name for this species of insanity let me suggest it—call it dementia Americana. That is the species of insanity which makes every American man believe his home to be sacred; that is the species of insanity which makes him believe the honor of his daughter is sacred; that is the species of insanity which makes him believe the honor of his wife is sacred; that is the species of insanity which makes him believe that whosoever invades his home, that whosoever stains the virtue of this threshold, has violated the highest of human laws and must appeal to the mercy of God, if mercy there be for him anywhere in the universe.” [English United States Crime & Prisons Health Law] [full cite] (Jun. 25, 2004)

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