Law, Crime & Punishment, CON-DEE
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Law, Crime & Punishment Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Connecticut Compromise, in United States history, the compromise offered by Connecticut delegates Roger Sherman......
Connick v. Myers, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on April 20, 1983, ruled (5–4) that the district attorney’s......
Conseil d’État, (French: “Council of State”), highest court in France for issues and cases involving public administration.......
consideration, in contract law, an inducement given to enter into a contract that is sufficient to render the promise......
conspiracy, in common law, an agreement between two or more persons to commit an unlawful act or to accomplish......
constable, officer of state in western European countries from medieval times and also of certain executive legal......
constitution, the body of doctrines and practices that form the fundamental organizing principle of a political......
Constitution of 1791, French constitution created by the National Assembly during the French Revolution. It retained......
Constitution of 1795 (Year III), French constitution established during the Thermidorian Reaction in the French......
constitution of 1917, the fundamental law of the Mexican federal republic. Amended several times, it guarantees......
Constitution of the United States of America, the fundamental law of the U.S. federal system of government and......
Constitution of the Year VIII, French constitution established after the Coup of 18–19 Brumaire (Nov. 9–10, 1799),......
Constitutional Act, (1791), in Canadian history, the act of the British Parliament that repealed certain portions......
Constitutional Convention, (1787), in U.S. history, convention that drew up the Constitution of the United States.......
constitutional engineering, process by which political actors devise higher law, which is usually—but not always—specified......
constitutional law, the body of rules, doctrines, and practices that govern the operation of political communities.......
Constitutional Laws of 1875, In France, a series of fundamental laws that, taken collectively, came to be known......
constitutiones principum, enactments or legislation issued by the ancient Roman emperors. The chief forms of imperial......
Book of the Consulate of the Sea, a celebrated collection of Mediterranean maritime customs and ordinances in the......
consumer fraud, illicit activities that involve deceit or trickery and are perpetrated against an individual purchaser......
contempt, in law, insult to, interference with, or violation of a sovereign court or legislative body. The concept......
continuous voyage, in international law, a voyage that, in view of its purposes, is regarded as one single voyage......
contraband, in the laws of war, goods that may not be shipped to a belligerent because they serve a military purpose.......
contract, in the simplest definition, a promise enforceable by law. The promise may be to do something or to refrain......
contributory negligence, in law, behaviour that contributes to one’s own injury or loss and fails to meet the standard......
Controlled Substances Act (CSA), federal U.S. drug policy that regulates the manufacture, importation, possession,......
conversion, in law, unauthorized possession of personal property causing curtailment of the owner’s possession......
copyhold, in English law, a form of landholding defined as a “holding at the will of the lord according to the......
copyleft, license granting general permission to copy and reproduce intellectual property. Where copyright protects......
copyright, the exclusive, legally secured right to reproduce, distribute, and perform a literary, musical, dramatic,......
Copyright Act of 1790, law enacted in 1790 by the U.S. Congress to establish rules of copyright for intellectual......
Corineus, legendary eponymous hero of Cornwall. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia regum Britanniae (1135–39),......
Corn Law, in English history, any of the regulations governing the import and export of grain. Records mention......
Cornwallis Code, (1793), the enactment by which Lord Cornwallis, governor-general of India, gave legal form to......
coroner, a public official whose principal duty in modern times is to inquire, with the help of a jury, into any......
coroner’s jury, a group summoned from a district to assist a coroner in determining the cause of a person’s death.......
corporal punishment, the infliction of physical pain upon a person’s body as punishment for a crime or infraction.......
corporate crime, type of white-collar crime committed by individuals within their legitimate occupations, for the......
Corporation of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints v. Amos, case in which the......
Corps Législatif, the legislature in France from 1795 to 1814. In the period of the Directory (q.v.) it was the......
Corpus Juris Hungarici, unofficial collection of Hungarian legal statutes dating to the 16th century. The core......
corruption, Improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another. Its forms......
corruption perceptions index (CPI), measure that rates countries on the basis of their perceived level of corruption,......
Corsican National Liberation Front, largest and most violent of a number of Corsican nationalist movements. It......
Cortes, a representative assembly, or parliament, of the medieval Iberian kingdoms and, in modern times, the national......
counterfeiting, manufacture of false money for gain, a kind of forgery in that something is copied so as to defraud......
Cour de Cassation, (French: “Court of Cassation,” or “Abrogation”), the highest court of criminal and civil appeal......
court, a person or body of persons having judicial authority to hear and resolve disputes in civil, criminal, ecclesiastical,......
- Introduction
- Dispute Resolution, Judgments, Hearings
- Judicial Lawmaking, Precedent, Jurisdiction
- Constitutional Decisions
- Procedural Rules, Jurisdiction, Adjudication
- Jurisdiction, Procedure, Judiciaries
- Civil, Criminal, Appeals
- Appellate, Jurisdiction, Review
- Judicial Review, Separation of Powers, Checks & Balances
- Judges, Jurisdiction, Decisions
- Professional Judges, Common Law, Tradition
- Judicial Power, Global Trends, Reforms
court baron, (“baron’s court”), medieval English manorial court, or halimoot, that any lord could hold for and......
court leet, an English criminal court for the punishment of small offenses. The use of the word leet, denoting......
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the judicial branch of the European Union (EU). Its basic mission......
court-martial, military court for hearing charges brought against members of the armed forces or others within......
coutume, (French: “custom”), in French law, the body of law in force before the Revolution of 1789 in northern......
The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord (CSA), white supremacist militia group based in Arkansas, U.S.,......
coverture, Anglo-American common-law concept, derived from feudal Norman custom, that dictated a woman’s subordinate......
credit card fraud, act committed by any person who, with intent to defraud, uses a credit card that has been revoked,......
crime, the intentional commission of an act usually deemed socially harmful or dangerous and specifically defined,......
crime against humanity, an offense in international criminal law, adopted in the Charter of the International Military......
crime laboratory, facility where analyses are performed on evidence generated by crimes or, sometimes, civil infractions.......
crime, délit, and contravention, three classifications of criminal offense that are central to the administration......
criminal investigation, ensemble of methods by which crimes are studied and criminals apprehended. The criminal......
criminal justice, interdisciplinary academic study of the police, criminal courts, correctional institutions (e.g.,......
criminal law, the body of law that defines criminal offenses, regulates the apprehension, charging, and trial of......
criminology, scientific study of the nonlegal aspects of crime and delinquency, including its causes, correction,......
Crips, street gang based in Los Angeles that is involved in various illegal activities, notably drug dealing, theft,......
Crown Court, a court system sitting in England and Wales and dealing largely with criminal cases. Created under......
crown land, in Great Britain, land owned by the crown, the income from which has been, since the reign of George......
crucifixion, an important method of capital punishment particularly among the Persians, Seleucids, Carthaginians,......
The human mind has long been capable of dreaming up new and terrible ways to punish alleged transgressors, villains,......
Crédit Mobilier Scandal, in U.S. history, illegal manipulation of contracts by a construction and finance company......
Cuban Adjustment Act, U.S. federal law (November 2, 1966) that was enacted with the intent of allowing Cuban natives......
cucking and ducking stools, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. The cucking stool......
Cumming v. Board of Education of Richmond County, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on December 18, 1899, ruled......
cuneiform law, the body of laws revealed by documents written in cuneiform, a system of writing invented by the......
curfew, a signal, as by tolling a bell, to warn the inhabitants of a town to extinguish their lights and fires......
curia, in European medieval history, a court, or group of persons who attended a ruler at any given time for social,......
custom, in English law, an ancient rule of law for a particular locality, as opposed to the common law of the country.......
cyberattack, deliberate and malicious attempt to gain unauthorized access to a digital system. Cyberattacks can......
In 1768, when Encyclopædia Britannica was first published, there was no telephone, let alone the Internet, to facilitate......
cybercrime, the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking......
cyberlaw, Body of law bearing on the world of computer networks, especially the Internet. As traffic on the Internet......
dactyloscopy, the science of fingerprint identification. Dactyloscopy relies on the analysis and classification......
damages, in law, money compensation for loss or injury caused by the wrongful act of another. Recovery of damages......
Danbury Hatters’ Case, U.S. Supreme Court case in which unions were held to be subject to the antitrust laws. In......
Darnel’s case, celebrated case in the history of the liberty of English subjects. It contributed to the enactment......
Dartmouth College case, U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court held that the charter of Dartmouth College granted......
data protection, species of privacy law that controls access to information relating to the individual. Typically,......
date rape, a term used largely in industrialized countries to describe the forcing or coercing of a victim into......
Davenport v. Washington Education Association, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 14, 2007, ruled (9–0)......
Davis v. Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on April 20, 1971,......
Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on May 24, 1999, ruled (5–4) that,......
Dawes General Allotment Act, (February 8, 1887), U.S. law providing for the distribution of Indian reservation......
death row, the part of a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after they have been sentenced to death......
death-qualified jury, in law, a trial jury pronounced fit to decide a case involving the death penalty. The fitness......
debtor and creditor, relationship existing between two persons in which one, the debtor, can be compelled to furnish......
decemviri, (Latin: “ten men”), in ancient Rome, any official commission of 10. The designation is most often used......
Declaration of Sentiments, foundational document in U.S. women’s rights movement history, outlining the rights......
Declaratory Act, (1766), declaration by the British Parliament that accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act. It......
declaratory judgment, in law, a judicial judgment intended to fix or elucidate litigants’ rights that were previously......
deed, in law, a written instrument for the transfer of title to real estate. At common law, the deed was a contract......