LAW & JUSTICE
de jure /ˌdeɪ ˈdʒʊəri/ (adv):
# (from Latin, law) according to the law.
He held power de jure and de facto (= both according to the law and in reality).
de facto /ˌdeɪ ˈfæktəʊ/ (adj):
# [usually before noun] (from Latin, formal) existing as a fact although it may not be legally accepted as existing.
The general took de facto control of the country.
# (Australian English, New Zealand English) (of a relationship) in which two people live together as if they are married, without actually being married.
John was in a de facto relationship with Dawn for 22 years.
# (Australian English, New Zealand English) (of a person or couple) living in a de facto relationship.
her de facto husband.
de facto /ˌdeɪ ˈfæktəʊ/ (adv):
# (from Latin, formal) in a way that exists as a fact although it may not be legally accepted.
He continued to rule the country de facto.
de facto /ˌdeɪ ˈfæktəʊ/ (n):
# (plural de factos) (Australian English, New Zealand English) a person who lives with somebody as their husband or wife, although they are not officially married.
We've invited James and his de facto to our wedding.
trial /ˈtraɪəl/ (n):
# [uncountable, countable] a formal examination of evidence in court by a judge and often a jury, to decide if somebody accused of a crime is guilty or not.
a murder/criminal trial
on trial He's on trial for murder.
She will stand trial/go on trial for fraud.
He should have been arrested and put on trial.
He was facing trial on a murder charge.
The men were arrested but not brought to trial.
She is awaiting trial on corruption charges.
court /kɔːrt/ (n):
# [countable, uncountable] the place where legal trials take place and where crimes, etc. are judged.
the civil/criminal courts
Her lawyer made a statement outside the court.
in court: Relatives of the dead girl were in court.
She will appear in court tomorrow.
to court: They took their landlord to court for breaking the contract.
The case took five years to come to court (= to be heard by the court).
There wasn't enough evidence to bring the case to court (= start a trial).
out of court The case was settled out of court (= a decision was reached without a trial).
He won the court case and was awarded damages.
She can't pay her tax and is facing court action.
During the court hearing, the prosecutor said she would seek maximum prison sentences.
# the court [usually singular] the people in a court, especially those who make the decisions, such as the judge and jury.
Please tell the court what happened.
The court heard how the man collapsed after being stabbed.
The court ruled in favour of her claim.
This is not a case to be decided by the courts.
before the court: This evidence was not put before the court.
Airlines could face huge compensation bills following a court ruling on flight delays.
SEE ALSO appeal court, circuit court, contempt of court, county court, Crown Court, family court, high court, juvenile court, moot court, Supreme Court.
jury /ˈdʒʊəri/ (n):
# [countable + singular or plural verb] (plural juries) (also panel, jury panel especially in North American English) a group of members of the public who listen to the facts of a case in a court and decide whether or not somebody is guilty of a crime, or whether a claim has been proved.
members of the jury
The jury has/have returned a verdict of guilty.
on a jury: to be/sit/serve on a jury
by jury: the right to trial by jury
# a group of people who decide who is the winner of a competition.
on a jury: He was on the jury for this year's Booker Prize.
the jury is (still) out on something (idiom):
# used when you are saying that something is still not certain.
The jury is still out on whether wine can be good for you.
disbar /dɪsˈbɑː(r)/ (v):
# [usually passive] disbar somebody (from something/from doing something) to stop a lawyer from working in the legal profession, especially because he or she has done something illegal.
He was disbarred from the practice of law in Florida.
She was in danger of being disbarred after allegations of fraud.
proposition /ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃn/ /ˌprɑːpəˈzɪʃn/ (n):
# (also Proposition) (in the US) a suggested change to the law that people can vote on.
How did you vote on Proposition 8?
susceptible /səˈseptəbl/ (adj):
# (of something) (formal) allowing something; capable of something.
Is this situation not susceptible of improvement by legislation?
The facts are susceptible of various interpretations.
proceeding /prəˈsiːdɪŋ/ (n):
# (formal) [countable, usually plural] the process of using a court to settle an argument or to deal with a complaint.
court/legal/judicial proceedings
bankruptcy/divorce/extradition proceedings
proceeding (against somebody) (for something) There was enough evidence to bring criminal proceedings against her.
The EU has started legal proceedings against the country for its failure to implement the directive.
# proceedings [plural] an event or a series of actions.
The Mayor will open the proceedings at the City Hall tomorrow.
We watched the proceedings from the balcony.
# proceedings [plural] the official written report of a meeting, etc.
His paper is published in the new issue of the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
legal proceedings /ˈliːɡl prəsiːdɪŋz/ (n):
# (also legal action) [plural] the act of using the legal system to settle an argument, etc.
SYNONYM set/put in motion;
to initiate legal proceedings against somebody.
proceed against (phrasal verb):
# proceed against somebody: (law) to start a court case against somebody.
There was not enough evidence to proceed against him.
proceed from (phrasal verb):
# proceed from something: (formal) to be caused by or be the result of something.
In some cases appeals may proceed directly from the High Court to the House of Lords.
proceed to (phrasal verb):
# proceed to something: (formal) to continue with the next stage of an activity, as expected.
Most middle-class school students proceed to university.
The court case will now proceed to a public hearing.
initiate /ɪˈnɪʃieɪt/ (v):
# initiate something (formal) to make something begin.
SYNONYM set/put in motion;
to initiate legal proceedings against somebody.
The government has initiated a programme of economic reform.
lawsuit /ˈlɔːsuːt/ (n):
# (also suit) lawsuit (against somebody/something): a claim or complaint against somebody that a person or an organization can make in court.
He filed a lawsuit against his record label.
to bring/settle/dismiss a lawsuit
A law firm has launched a class-action lawsuit against the airline.
claim /kleɪm/ (n):
# [countable, uncountable] a right that somebody believes they have to something, especially property, land, etc.
nineteenth-century land claims
claim on something: They had no claim on the land.
claim to something: She has more claim to the campaign's success than anybody (= she is responsible for it).
sentence /ˈsentəns/ (n):
# [countable, uncountable] the punishment given by a court.
a jail/prison sentence
a custodial sentence
a harsh/stiff/heavy/lengthy sentence
a light/lenient sentence
The court will impose an appropriate sentence.
The judge passed sentence (= said what the punishment would be).
The prisoner has served (= completed) his sentence and will be released tomorrow.
sentence of something: a maximum/minimum sentence of five years
a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment
The charges carry a sentence of up to ten years.
She could face a sentence of between seven and ten years in jail.
sentence for something He received an 18-year sentence for attempted murder.
under sentence (of something) to be under sentence of death.
SEE ALSO community sentence, death sentence, life sentence, suspended sentence.
He spent a week in custody awaiting sentence.
He turned state's evidence in return for a reduced sentence.
She could face a long prison sentence.
The US Supreme Court recently upheld both of these sentences.
The judge imposed the mandatory sentence for murder.
The offence carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
an eight-year sentence for burglary
ex-felons who have completed their sentences.