Skip to content


American Law - Law Dictionary Search Results

Home Dictionary Name: american law

American Law

American Law. A term generally applied to the law of the United States of America which is based, in the main, on the common law of England. The law of Louisiana, however, is derived from the Code Napoleon. Though the decisions of the Courts of the United States are often helpful in elucidating analogous questions, and accordingly are frequently quoted in text-books by English writers and sometimes cited in argument, they have no binding effect upon any English Court. America, however, it need scarcely be said, has produced lawyers and text-writers of the highest eminence, and such works as those of Wheaton, Story, and Professor Gray are in constant use in this country....


Restatement

Restatement : any of several volumes produced by the American Law Institute and authored by legal scholars and experts that set forth statements of major areas of law (as contracts, torts, trusts, and property) and are widely referred to in jurisprudence but are not binding ...


ALI

ALI American Law Institute ...


annotation

annotation 1 : a note added (as to a statute) by way of comment or explanation often furnishing summaries of relevant court decisions 2 cap : an informational and descriptive note or essay (as about a case or legal issue) esp. in American Law Reports ...


Eminent domain and police powers-distinction

Eminent domain and police powers-distinction, the concepts of eminent domain and police powers are borrowed from American law. In the exercise of its eminent domain power the State may take any property from the owner and may appropriate it for public purposes. The police and eminent domain powers are essentially distinct. Under the police power many restrictions may be imposed and the property may even be destroyed without compensation being given, whereas under the power of eminent domain, the property may be appropriated to public use on payment of compensation only, Deputy Commissioner and Collector v. Durganath Sarma, AIR 1968 SC 394 (399): (1968) 1 SCR 561....


Procedure established by law

Procedure established by law, does not mean due process of law, A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras, AIR 1980 SC 27.In India as in UK, the legislature is free to lay down any procedure, within the ambit of its legislative power, all that is required to deprive a person of his life or personal liberty is to lay down a procedure by an intra vires enactment, A Commentary on the Constitution of India, Durga Das Basu, 6th Edn., Vol. D, p. 101.In UK the law being State made or enacted and not the general principles of natural justice, procedure established by law means the procedure proscribed by the legislature, A Commentary on the Constitution of India, Vol. D , 6th Edn., p. 101.Means procedure enacted by a law made by the State, that is to say, the Union Parliament or the legislatures of the State, Collector of Malabar v. Erimmal Ebrahim Hajee, AIR 1957 SC 688. (See Constitution of India, Art. 21)Means the procedure prescribed by the law of the State. (Constitution of India, Art. 21)The term ...


procedural law

procedural law : law that prescribes the procedures and methods for enforcing rights and duties and for obtaining redress (as in a suit) and that is distinguished from law that creates, defines, or regulates rights [the federal courts in diversity actions must apply state substantive law and federal procedural law "Miller v. American Dredging Corp., 595 So. 2d 615 (1992)"] ;also : a particular law of this nature compare substantive law ...


Judgment

Judgment [fr. judgment, Fr.], judicial determination; decision of a Court.Under the former practice of the superior Courts, this term was usually applied only to the Common Law Courts, the term 'decree' being in general use in the Court of Chancery. The expression 'Judg-ment,' however, is now used generally except in matrimonial causes, the term 'judgment' including 'decree' [(English) Jud. Act, 1925, s. 225, replacing Jud. Act,1873, s. 100].The several species of judgments are either:-(a) Interlocutory, given in the course of a cause, upon some plea, proceeding, or default, which is only intermediate, and does not finally determine or complete the action. See INQUIRY; SUMMONSES; and ORDERS; and the various titles of the subjects of such judgments as MANDAMUS; INJUNC-TION, etc.(b) Final, putting an end to the action by an award of redress to one party, or discharge of the other, as the case may be.By the (English) C.L.P. Act,1852, s. 120, a plaintiff or defendant having obtained a verd...


jury

jury pl: ju·ries [Anglo-French juree, from feminine past participle of Old French jurer to swear, from Latin jurare, from jur- jus law] : a body of individuals sworn to give a decision on some matter submitted to them ;esp : a body of individuals selected and sworn to inquire into a question of fact and to give their verdict according to the evidence occasionally used with a pl. verb [the are always to decide whether the inference shall be drawn "Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr."] see also advisory jury, array, grand jury, inquest, jury nullification, petit jury, special jury, trial jury, venire Amendment VI to the Constitution in the back matter NOTE: The jury of American and English law most likely originated in early Anglo-Norman property proceedings, where a body of 12 knights or freemen who were from the area, and usually familiar with the parties, would take an oath and answer questions put to them by a judge in order to determine property rights. Jury verdicts began to be us...


Key-number system

Key-number system, means a legal-research indexing system developed by West Publishing Company to Catalogue American case law with headnotes. In this system, a number designates a point of law, allowing a researcher to find all reported cases addressing a particular point by referring to its number, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn., p. 873....


  • << Prev.

Sign-up to get more results

Unlock complete result pages and premium legal research features.

Start Free Trial

Save Judgments// Add Notes // Store Search Result sets // Organize Client Files //