First Degree - Law Dictionary Search Results
Home Dictionary Name: first degreefirst degree
first degree : the grade given to the most serious forms of crimes [burglary in the first degree] first-degree adj ...
first-degree murder
first-degree murder see murder ...
principal in the first degree
principal in the first degree see principal ...
degree
degree 1 : a step in a direct line of descent or in the line of ascent to a common ancestor 2 a : a measure of the seriousness of a crime see also fifth degree, first degree, fourth degree, second degree, third degree NOTE: Crimes are rated by degrees for the purpose of imposing more severe punishments for more serious crimes. b : a measure of care ;also : a measure of negligence esp. in connection with bailments see also care, negligence ...
Degree
Degree [fr. degre, Fr.; degrat, O. Fr.; gradus, Lat.], a step; the difference in relative importance of the same species, also to denote priorities in family relationships; the state of a person, as to be a barrister-at-law, or to be a Bachelor or Master of Arts of a University; in criminal law, an accused person is a principal in the first degree (i.e., the actual perpetrator of the crime) or in the second dgree (i.e., one who merely aids and abets).means a degree obtained by examination after a minimum of three years' study, although a research degree obtained by thesis, or a degree obtained by examination in less than three years may be considered on its merits, including, if necessary, the qualifications on which registration for the degree was based, Consolidated Regulations of the Four Inns of Court (1988) Sch. 2, Category II(a) (UK) Halsbury's Laws of England 3(1), para 374, p. 290....
murder
murder [partly from Old English morthor; partly from Old French murdre, of Germanic origin] the crime of unlawfully and unjustifiably killing another under circumstances defined by statute (as with premeditation) ;esp such a crime committed purposely, knowingly, and recklessly with extreme indifference to human life or during the course of a serious felony (as robbery or rape) compare cold blood, cooling time, homicide, manslaughter NOTE: Self-defense, necessity, and lack of capacity for criminal responsibility (as because of insanity) are defenses to a charge of murder. Most state statutes and the U.S. Code divide murder into two degrees. Florida, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania currently have three degrees of murder. Some states do not assign degrees of murder. [di-pr?vd-h rt-] a murder that is the result of an act which is dangerous to others and shows that the perpetrator has a depraved mind and no regard for human life NOTE: Depraved-heart murder is usually considered second- or...
manslaughter
manslaughter : the unlawful killing of a human being without malice compare homicide, murder involuntary manslaughter : manslaughter resulting from the failure to perform a legal duty expressly required to safeguard human life, from the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony, or from the commission of a lawful act involving a risk of injury or death that is done in an unlawful, reckless, or grossly negligent manner see also reckless homicide at homicide NOTE: The exact formulation of the elements of involuntary manslaughter vary from state to state esp. with regard to the level of negligence required. In states that grade manslaughter by degrees, involuntary manslaughter is usually graded as a second- or third-degree offense. misdemeanor-manslaughter : involuntary manslaughter occurring during the commission of a misdemeanor compare felony murder at murder voluntary manslaughter : manslaughter resulting from an intentional act done without malice or premeditati...
Degrees of prohibited relationship
Degrees of prohibited relationship, a man and any of the persons mentioned in Part I of the First Schedule and a woman and any of the persons mentioned in Part II of the said Schedule are within the degrees of prohibited relationship. [Special Marriage Act, 1954 (43 of 1954), s. 2(b)]Degrees of prohibited relationship, [Special Marriage Act, 1954 (43 of 1954), s. 2(b)]...
Lineal consanguinity
Lineal consanguinity, that relationship which subsists between persons descended in a right line, as grandfather, father, son, grandson.(1) Lineal consanguinity is that which subsists between two persons, one of whom is descended in a direct line from the other, as between a man and his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, and so upwards in the direct ascending line; or between a man and his son, grandson, great-grandson and so downwards in the direct descending line.(2) Every generation constitutes a degree, either ascending or descending.(3) A person's father is related to him in the first degree, and so likewise is his son; his grandfather and grandson in the second degree; his great-grandfather and great-grandson in the third degree, and so on. (Succession Act, 1925, s. 25)...
principal
principal 1 : being the main or most important, consequential, or influential [their place of business] [the obligor] 2 : of, relating to, or constituting principal or a principal [the amount of the loan] n 1 : a participant in an action or transaction esp. having control or authority [the s of a business]: as a : one who engages another to act for him or her subject to his or her general control or instruction : one from whom an agent derives authority to act compare fiduciary b : one who commits a crime or instigates, encourages, or assists another to commit it esp. when constructively or actually present see also accessory principal in the first degree : a principal under common law who intentionally commits and is actually or constructively present at the commission of a crime principal in the second degree : a principal under common law who aids, encourages, or commands another to commit a crime and is actually or constructively present when it is committed c : the per...
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