50
votes
Which security is the social security number about?
Social Security numbers are called Social Security numbers because were invented to implement the Social Security Act of 1935, which was one of the important programs adopted by Congress as part of ...
- 194k
48
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
Germany definitely has a legal jargon that is sufficiently distinct from standard German that a foreigner with decent skill in standard German will have trouble understanding what a legal text ...
- 3,298
32
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
In france, legal texts are written in "everyday" French, although the legal vocabulary may not be known to non-specialists.
However, for some reason (tradition, I guess), court judgements ...
- 445
30
votes
What is the significance of “moral turpitude”?
In many states, conviction (or a guilty plea) to a crime of moral turpitude is automatic disbarment. At a minimum, these lawyers would face hearings and their licenses, and livelihoods, would be at ...
- 1,422
24
votes
Accepted
Why is a lawsuit a "suit"?
The historical root is Old French sieute, sivre meaning "follow, pursue". You pursue your defendant in court. This is an ordinary legal term in post-Norman England. The root is also invoked ...
- 210k
24
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
The Islamic legal system, Shari`ah, is similar to common law in having special legal terms. For instance, a legal duty may be farīḍah, mustaḥabb, mubāḥ, makrūh or ḥarām. Legal authorities ...
- 210k
22
votes
Accepted
Can a computer program agree to Terms of Service?
Other Entities means Legal Person
The reason for the term "legal person" is that some legal persons are not people: companies and corporations are "persons" legally speaking (they ...
- 33.4k
20
votes
Is the term "evil" defined in law?
While not defined, in common law systems, there is a concept of Malum in se which can be translated to "Wrong or Evil in itself" and is used to describe criminal actions that are wrong ...
- 22.7k
19
votes
Accepted
Which security is the social security number about?
The SSN was originally meant to be used strictly for tracking a worker’s lifetime earnings in order to calculate retirement benefits after age 65 under the Social Security Act of 1935.
In fact, until ...
- 1,982
17
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
A single data point, Bulgarian: Like in English, but more diverse.
In addition to the normal Bulgarian lexical content and grammar, legal text also contain:
Archaic Bulgarian words in places where a ...
- 1,271
16
votes
Is the term "evil" defined in law?
Evil exists in the legal system
Evil is a perfectly cromulent word and, if this clause was ever litigated, the court would need it to determine its meaning and determine if the acts or omissions ...
- 197k
16
votes
Accepted
What is "probity"?
The definitions you found online and in legal dictionaries are likely correct. I suspect you found something such as:
The quality or condition of having strong moral principles; integrity, good ...
- 42.9k
16
votes
Can a computer program agree to Terms of Service?
It can’t consent for itself, but it can consent on your behalf
The concept we are interested in is that of the legal person. A legal person can, among other things, enter into contracts which is what ...
- 197k
16
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
Sweden has its own version of it, called myndighetssvenska (approx. "authority Swedish"), but in recent years, the government has been actively encouraging more ordinary Swedish in ...
- 161
14
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
Speaking for all countries/languages: yes. What you call "legalese" is just the - as professionals in Computer Science would call it - domain-specific language of law professionals. Many, ...
- 666
13
votes
Accepted
Meaning of 'Gift of Residue' section of a will
What does this paragraph mean? Line by line.
I give my Residuary Estate
This is a gift, effective when the person writing the Will dies, of everything that is left over after all debts and taxes are ...
- 194k
13
votes
What does "credible" mean?
Credible means "not lying".
But someone who is telling the truth to the best of their ability may still lack the knowledge to be a strong witness on the matters that the court has to make a ...
- 194k
12
votes
Accepted
What does "credible" mean?
canada
There is a distinction between credibility and reliability. Credibility is about sincerity. Reliability is about ultimate accuracy, which can be doubted for reasons other than sincerity (memory,...
- 42.9k
12
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
In Italy, the concept is described by an Italian word with the exact same spelling:
https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/tag/legalese/
The word is pronounced according italian orthographic rule, and ...
- 221
12
votes
Accepted
Difference between "dismissed with prejudice" vs. "res judicata"?
Res judicata (also called "claim preclusion") prevents relitigation of a dispute that was previously litigated or could have been been litigated in a case that was actually filed that was ...
- 194k
10
votes
Accepted
What is "distress," as in "distress for rent"?
Distress or distraint refers to a right to seize the personal property of a wrong-doer to satisfy a demand. The landlord might seize your horse for non-payment of rent, under this right. For example (...
- 210k
10
votes
Accepted
What is the origin of the term “court” as a reference to the judicial institution?
Does the legal usage of the word court as in a court of law derive from the idea of a royal court, as an expression of the idea that the original courts of law were ultimately simple vehicles for the ...
- 35.1k
9
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
As a student in China, I once read one of China's law codes in the original Chinese. I wouldn't call the language used in that document "legalese"; it was standard, modern Mandarin, but ...
- 191
9
votes
How is “R v. Smith” pronounced?
It varies. See Wikipedia: Case citation - Pronunciation of case titles: "When case titles are read out loud, the v can be pronounced, depending on the context, as and, against, versus, or vee.&...
- 42.9k
8
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between the terms defendant and Respondent?
Defendant is normally used as the opposing party to a plaintiff, in a civil cause of action. It also refers to the accused in a criminal matter.
Respondent is normally used as the responding party to ...
- 42.9k
8
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
In denmark we have the term "kancellisprog" which means something like
Verbose language with long sentences and intricate sentence structure known especially from legal and administrative ...
- 271
8
votes
Is "legalese" a thing in languages other than English?
In brazil we have juridiquês, marked by the usage of excessive legal jargon, Latin, older words that nobody uses in everyday conversation and long sentences.
But it's pretty much a thing for older ...
- 201
7
votes
Accepted
What is denoted by “operation of law”?
"by operation of law" means that something happens automatically even if nobody does something about it.
For example, if property is owned in joint tenancy with right of survivorship, it ...
- 194k
7
votes
Legal definition of a "child" in the United States
canada
The term "child" is expressly defined for various offences. For example, for s. 172:
child means a person who is or appears to be under the age of eighteen years.
The offence of &...
- 42.9k
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