Common Legal Terms terms starting with R

48 terms

Ratio legis The reason underlying the law.
Re-direct examination Opportunity to present rebuttal evidence after one's witness has been subjected to crossexamination.
Real property A dwelling or home is often referred to as real property.
Reasonable doubt A person accused of a crime is entitled to acquittal if, in the minds of the jury, his or her guilt has not been proved beyond a "reasonable doubt;" i.e.
Reasonable person A phrase used to denote a hypothetical person who exercises qualities of attention, knowledge; intelligence, and judgment that society requires of its…
Rebut Evidence disproving other evidence previously given or reestablishing the credibility of challenged evidence. See rejoinder.
Recognizance An obligation entered into before a court whereby the recognizor acknowledges that he will do a specific act required by law.
record All the documents and evidence plus transcripts of oral proceedings in a case.
Recuse The process by which a judge is disqualified from hearing a case, on his or her own motion or upon the objection of either party.
Redress To set right; to remedy; to compensate; to remove the causes of a grievance.
Referee A person appointed by the Chief Judge to hear and determine certain cases. Here, the Referee hears any and all cases regarding housing, including eviction…
Registered mark Trademark with the words "Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office" or the letter "R" enclosed within a circle.
Rehearing Another hearing of a civil or criminal case by the same court in which the case was originally heard.
Rejoinder Opportunity for the plaintiff/petitioner to offer limited response to evidence presented by the defendant/respondent. See rebut.
Remand To send a dispute back to the court where it was originally heard. Usually it is an appellate court that remands a case for proceedings in the trial court…
Remedy Legal or judicial means by which a right or privilege is enforced or the violation of a right or privilege is prevented, redressed, or compensated.
Remittitur The reduction by a judge of the damages awarded by a jury.
Removal The transfer of a state case to federal court.
Replacement volumes Volumes which replace books and their pocket parts when the pocket parts cause the books to become too bulky.
replevin An action for the recovery of a possession that has been wrongfully taken.
Reply The response by a party to charges raised in a pleading by the other party.
reporter Makes a record of court proceedings, prepares a transcript, and publishes the court's opinions or decisions.
Reporters Books which contain court decisions.
Request for admission Also, Request to Admit. Written statements of facts concerning a case which are submitted to an adverse party and which that party must admit or deny; a…
Request for production of documents A direction or command served upon another party for production of specified documents for review with respect to a suit; a discovery device.
Request to admit See Request for Admission.
Res A thing; the subject matter.
Res adjudicata Once settled by a judicial decision, the party may not sue again on the same matter.
Res gestae The facts or things done which form the basis for a litigation action.
Res ipsa loquitur The thing speaks for itself.
Res judicata See res adjudicata.
Rescission The cancellation, or “tearing-up,” of a contract. Some consumer loans (home mortgages) feature a 3-day right of rescission during which the borrower…
Research A careful hunting for facts, truth and/or the law about a subject.
Respondeat superior Let the principal answer for the acts of the agent.
Respondent 1. The person that must respond to allegations contained in a petition. 2. The person against whom an appeal is taken. See petitioner.
Rest A party is said to "rest" or "rest its case" when it has presented all the evidence it intends to offer.
Restatement A publication which tells what the law is in a particular field, as compiled from statutes and decisions.
Restitution Act of restoring anything to its rightful owner; the act of restoring someone to an economic position he enjoyed before he suffered a loss.
Retainer Act of the client in employing the attorney or counsel, and also denotes the fee which the client pays when he or she retains the attorney to act for them.
Return Your return is the profit or loss you have on your investments, including income and change in value.
Reverse An action of a higher court in setting aside or revoking a lower court decision.
Reversible error A procedural error during a trial or hearing sufficiently harmful to justify reversing the judgment of a lower court.
Revocable trust A revocable trust is a living trust that can be modified or revoked by the grantor, or person who establishes the trust and transfers property to it.
Revoke To cancel or nullify something.
Right of way The right of a party to pass over the land of another.
Robbery Felonious taking of another's property, from his or her person or immediate presence and against his or her will, by means of force or fear. See larceny.
Rules Established standards, guides, or regulations set up by authority that must be followed by parties to an action.
Rules of evidence Standards governing whether evidence in a civil or criminal case is admissible.