Legal Term Glossary
General Legal Terms
Glossaries
| Term | Main definition |
|---|---|
| Litigation | A judicial contest that seeks a decision from the court. |
| Litigant | A person or persons involved in a lawsuit. |
| Limited Jurisdiction Court | A court that may hear and decide limited types of cases. In Arizona, these are the justice and municipal courts. |
| Law | Provision that regulates the conduct of society, primarily generated by the legislative branch of government. |
| Juvenile | Any person under 18 years of age. |
| Justice Court | A lower, limited jurisdiction court. In justice courts, the judges are elected officials called Justices of the Peace. |
| Jury Foreman | The presiding member of the grand or petit jury, chosen by the members, who speaks or answers for the jury. |
| Jury Commissioner | Court officer who ensures that potential jurors are available to serve when needed by the courts. |
| Jurisdiction | The court that is in charge depending on the geographic area, type of case, or amount of money involved. |
| Judicial Performance Review | The process, as required by the Arizona Constitution, to periodically review the performance of judges appointed by the governor. |
| Judgment | The official decision by a court regarding the rights and claims of the person to a civil or criminal lawsuit. |
| Judge Pro Tempore | A person assigned to perform the duties of a judge on a temporary basis. |
| Judge | The public officer authorized to preside over, hear and determine cases in a court of law. |
| Insolvency | Inability or lack of means to pay debts. |
| Injunctive relief | A court order to stop doing a particular act. |
| Initial Appearance | The first appearance in court by the defendant in a criminal case. |
| Indictment | A formal, written accusation by a grand jury charging that a person or business committed a specific crime. |
| Incorrigible | Refers to a juvenile who is unmanageable by parents or guardians. Incorrigible offenses include running away and truancy. |
| Impeach | A formal accusation by the Arizona House of Representatives that a public official committed misconduct in office. |
| Harassment | A series of acts that happened over any period of time that are purposefully directed at a specific person. The acts are those that serve no legitimate purpose and would cause a reasonable person to be seriously alarmed, annoyed, or harassed. A single incident, no matter how bothersome, does not constitute harassment for purposes of a protective order. |