What is alimony?Court-ordered support payments from one spouse to the other following the dissolution of a marriage.
Who is a bailiff?Minor officer of a court usually serving as an usher or a messenger.
Who is a clerk of court?Elected or appointed court officer responsible for maintaining the written records of the court and for supervising or performing the clerical tasks necessary to conduct judicial business.
What is a court of record?Court whose proceedings are permanently recorded, thereby providing a record for a higher court to review.


What is court unification?A simplified state trial court structure, with rule- making centered in the supreme court, system governance authority vested in the chief justice of the supreme court, and state funding of the judicial system with a statewide judicial system budget.
Who is a delinquent?Person found to have violated the criminal law, but whose age prevents defining him or her as a criminal.
Define de novo.''Anew''; a second time.
What is discretionary jurisdiction?Jurisdiction that a court may accept or reject in particular cases. The U. S. Supreme Court has discretionary jurisdiction over most cases that come to it.


Define domestic relations.Relating to the home. The laws of divorce, custody, support, adoption, and so forth.
What is an en banc court?Situation in which all members of an appellate court participate in the disposition of a case.
What is the Field Code of Civil Procedure?Code of civil procedure adopted in New York in 1848, named after David Dudley Field, and used with modifications in several states.
Define homicide.The killing of one human being by another.


What are inferior courts?Trial courts of limited jurisdiction; also, any court lower in the judicial hierarchy.
Define ''in re''.''In the matter of; concerning.'' The designation of judicial proceedings in which there are no adversaries.
What are intermediate courts of appeal?Judicial bodies falling between the highest, or supreme, tribunal and the trial court. Created to relieve the jurisdiction
What is a JP?A low-level judge; a justice of the peace.


What is jurisprudence?The study of law and legal philosophy.
Who is a justice of the peace (JP)?Low-level judge, sometimes without legal training, typically found in rural areas of some states, empowered to try petty civil and criminal cases and to conduct the preliminary stages of felony cases.
What are justice of the peace courts?Historically, the name for lower courts in rural areas; have been mostly replaced by magistrates.
What is a juvenile?Not yet an adult for the purposes of the criminal law.


What are juvenile courts?The class of courts that have, as part of their authority, original jurisdiction over matters concerning persons statutorily defined as juveniles.
Define juvenile delinquency.Violation of a criminal offense by a person who is not yet an adult for the purposes of the criminal law.
What are lower state courts?Lower-level state courts, such as a justice of the peace court, whose jurisdiction is limited to minor civil disputes or misdemeanors.
What is a majority opinion?Opinion in a case that is subscribed to by a majority of the judges who participated in the decision. Also known as the opinion of the court.


What are major trial courts?Trial courts responsible for major criminal and civil cases.
Who is a minor?Person or infant who is under the age of legal competence. The age varies by area of law, under twenty- one in some states; under eighteen in others.
What are municipal courts?Trial courts of limited jurisdiction created by local units of government.
Define parens patriae. Doctrine that the juvenile court treats the child as a kind and loving father. Also refers generally to the judicial exercise of protective powers over persons who are unable to care for themselves, such as children, the mentally ill, or the incompetent.


What is personal injury?Negligence lawsuits, often involving automobile accidents.
What is probate?Proof that a written instrument is the last will and testament of a deceased person.
What is self-incrimination?Forcing a suspect to provide evidence against himself or herself; prohibited by the Fifth Amendment.
What is a state supreme court?General term for the highest court in a state.


What is a status offense?Action that would not constitute a crime if the person were an adult (for example, truancy) but can subject a youngster to the juvenile court process.
What are trial courts of general jurisdiction?Trial courts responsible for major criminal and civil cases.
What are trial courts of limited jurisdiction?Lower-level state courts, such as a justice of the peace court, whose jurisdiction is limited to minor civil disputes or misdemeanors.
What is a trial de novo?Latin phrase meaning a trial ''from the beginning.''


What is a unified court system?A simplified state trial court structure, with rule- making centered in the supreme court, system governance authority vested in the chief justice of the supreme court, and state funding of the judicial system with a statewide judicial system budget.