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A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L M
N O
P Q
R S
T U
V W
X Y Z #
Click on the first letter of the word from the list
above to go to the appropriate section of the
glossary.
- I -
Immunity: Grant by the court, which assures someone
will not face prosecution in return for providing
criminal evidence.
Impaneling: Selecting a jury from the list of
potential jurors.
Impeach: Attacking the credibility of a witness.
Impeachment of a Witness: An attack on the credibility
(believability) of a witness, through evidence
introduced for that purpose.
Incarcerate: To confine in jail.
Inadmissible: That which, under the rules of
evidence, cannot be admitted or received as evidence.
In Camera: In a judge's chambers; in private.
In Camera Inspection: Judge's private inspection of
a document prior to his or her ruling on its
admissibility or use at trial.
In Camera Proceedings. Trial or proceeding in a
place not open to the public, usually in a judge's
chambers.
Indemnify: To restore the victim of a loss, either
in whole or in part, by payment of money or repair or
replacement of the thing lost.
Independent Executor: A special kind of executor,
permitted by the laws of certain states, who performs
the duties of an executor without intervention by the
court.
Indeterminate Sentence: A sentence of imprisonment
to a specified minimum and maximum period of time,
specifically authorized by statute, subject to
termination by a parole board or other authorized
agency after the prisoner has served the minimum term.
Indictment: A written accusation by a grand jury
charging a person with a crime.
Indigent: Needy or impoverished. A defendant who
can demonstrate his or her indigence to the court may
be assigned a court-appointed attorney at public
expense.
Information: Accusatory document, filed by the
prosecutor, detailing the charges against the
defendant. An alternative to an indictment, it serves
to bring a defendant to trial.
Informed Consent: Person's agreement to allow
something to happen, such as a medical procedure, that
is based on full disclosure of the facts necessary to
make an intelligent decision.
In Forma Pauperis: In the manner of a pauper.
Permission given to a person to sue without payment of
court fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
Infraction: A violation of law not punishable by
imprisonment. Minor traffic offenses generally are
considered infractions.
Inheritance Tax: A state tax on property that an
heir or beneficiary under a will receives from a
deceased person's estate. The heir or beneficiary pays
this tax.
Initial Appearance: In criminal law, the hearing at
which a judge determines whether there is sufficient
evidence against a person charged with a crime to hold
him or her for trial. The Constitution bans secret
accusations, so initial appearances are public unless
the defendant asks otherwise; the accused must be
present, though he or she usually does not offer
evidence. Also called first appearance.
Injunction: Writ or order by a court prohibiting a
specific action from being carried out by a person or
group. A preliminary injunction is granted
provisionally, until a full hearing can be held to
determine if it should be made permanent.
In Propria Persona: In court's it refers to persons
who present their own case without lawyers. See Pro
Se.
Instructions: Judge's explanation to the jury
before it begins deliberations of the questions it
must answer and the applicable law governing the case.
Also called charge.
Intangible Assets: Nonphysical items such as stock
certificates, bonds, bank accounts, and pension
benefits that have value and must be taken into
account in estate planning.
Intentional Inflication of Emotional Distress: -
Intentionally causing severe emotional distress by
extreme or outrageous conduct.
Interlocutory: Provisional; not final. An
interlocutory order or an interlocutory appeal
concerns only a part of the issues raised in a
lawsuit.
Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one
party in a lawsuit for which the opposing party must
provide written answers.
Intervention: An action by which a third person who
may be affected by a lawsuit is permitted to become a
party to the suit. Differs from the process of
becoming an amicus curiae.
Inter Vivos Gift: A gift made during the giver's
life.
Inter Vivos Trust: Another name for a living trust.
Intestacy Laws: See descent and distribution
statutes.
Intestate: Dying without a will.
Intestate Succession: The process by which the
property of a person who has died without a will
passes on to others according to the state's descent
and distribution statutes. If someone dies without a
will, and the court uses the state's interstate
succession laws, an heir who receives some of the
deceased's property is an intestate heir.
Invitee: A person is an invitee on land if he
enters land by invitation; his entry is connected with
business being conducted on the land by the possessor
of land; and the possessor of land is benefited by the
entry.
Irrevocable Trust: A trust that, once set up, the
grantor may not revoke.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A condition of abnormally
increased spontaneous movement (motility) of the small
and large intestine, generally stress can contribute
to this condition.
Ischemic Colitis: An inflammation caused by
interference with the blood flow to the large
intestine. This lack of blood flow leads to death of
tissue.
Issue:(1) The disputed point in a disagreement
between parties in a lawsuit. (2) To send out
officially, as in to issue an order.
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