Legal Concepts & Doctrines
40 entries in the Legal Concepts & Doctrines compendium.
Corpus Juris CivilisFoundation of civil law jurisdictions, compiled under Roman Emperor Justinian I.Customary lawCustomary law is behavior accepted as binding by a community.DecreeA legal proclamation issued by a head of state or other authority.DefamationLegal remedy for injury to reputation, honour, or dignity.Draconian constitutionFirst written Athenian law code, known for severe punishments.Dred Scott v. SandfordSupreme Court ruling denied citizenship to African Americans.Donoghue v StevensonLandmark case that created modern negligence law.Element (criminal law)Factual components required to prove a criminal offense.Emancipation ProclamationPresidential order freeing slaves in Confederate states during the Civil War.EmbezzlementA financial crime involving deceitful secretion of entrusted assets.Eminent domainCompulsory acquisition of private property for public use with compensation.Enforced disappearanceState-sanctioned secret abduction and denial of a person's fate.EntrapmentState inducement of crime as a legal defense.Equality before the lawAll people must be equally protected by the law.Ex post facto lawA law that changes legal consequences retroactively.ExcommunicationExcommunication is an institutional act of religious censure limiting membership and commuExtraditionFormal legal process for surrendering fugitives between jurisdictions.ExtortionObtaining benefit through coercion by threat of harm.ForgeryForgery is the false making of an instrument to defraud.FraudFraud is intentional deception for unlawful gain or deprivation of rights.Freedom of movementA human right to travel and reside freely.Legal fictionA legal construct taken as true to facilitate a specific outcome.Legal informaticsStudy of information technology in legal contexts.Legitimacy (family law)Legal status of children based on parents' marriage.Mens reaGuilty mind required for criminal liability.Natural justiceProcedural rights ensuring impartiality and fair hearing in law.Negative and positive rightsRights obliging inaction or action, often in conflict.Proportionality (law)A legal principle balancing restriction and severity across multiple domains.Private propertyLegal concept of non-governmental ownership foundational to capitalism.Political legitimacyConcept of the right of authority to rule a society.NeocolonialismIndirect control of nominally independent states through economic and cultural means.NationA socially constructed, modern political community tied to the state.Partition (politics)Division of a unified territory into separate parts.Political globalizationGrowth of the worldwide political system and its institutions.Political machineParty organization using incentives and hierarchy to control elections.OstracismAthenian procedure for ten-year exile by popular vote.PenologySubfield of criminology studying punishment and prison management.LobbyingAdvocacy to influence policy decisions through direct contact with lawmakers.Limited governmentGovernment power restricted by law and consent.Malfeasance in officeUnlawful conduct by a public officer, often a crime.
Browse Legal Concepts & Doctrines in the interactive codex →