Ta'azir: Muslim law: discretionary and corrective punishments for minor crimes. | Legal Definition of Ta'azir

Taft-Hartley: The name of an American federal labor law which was passed in 1947, and which sought to equalize legal responsibilities of labor organizations and employers; ie. balance the Wagner Act, which, it was felt, may have gone to far in protecting union rights. | Legal Definition of Taft-Hartley

Take Down Notice: A notice sent to an Internet service provider allleging and detailing unlawful publishing activity | Legal Definition of Take Down Notice

Take From The Table: A term of parliamentary law and procedure that revives a motion that had been, previously tabled. | Legal Definition of Take From The Table

Take-Down Lights: Bright police cruise lights directed at a person while shadowing the cruiser occupants. | Legal Definition of Take-Down Lights

Talaq: Muslim law: The right given to a Muslim man to divorce his wife by mere unequivocal statement. | Legal Definition of Talaq

Tales: The act of supplementing a jury otherwise incomplete. | Legal Definition of Tales

Tales de circumstantibus: An order to the local sheriff to round up as many new jurors as may be required to complete a jury on which one or more jurors are missing or have been successfully challenged. | Legal Definition of Tales de circumstantibus

Talesmen: Additional jurors summoned to complete a jury. | Legal Definition of Talesmen

Tamper: To interfere improperly or in violation of the law such as to tamper with a document. | Legal Definition of Tamper

Tax: A payment to a public authority, required by statute, for a public purpose. | Legal Definition of Tax

Tax Amnesty: An opportunity afforded to a tax payer to rectify errors or omissions in past tax years or returns. | Legal Definition of Tax Amnesty

Tax Avoidance: To avoid taxes by arranging one's affairs so as not to incur tax. | Legal Definition of Tax Avoidance

Tax Evasion: A prohibited or illegal act or omission which is designed to reduce a person’s tax liability. | Legal Definition of Tax Evasion

Taxation of Costs: The formal quasi-judicial review of a bill of costs or other determination of costs payable by one litigant to another. | Legal Definition of Taxation of Costs

Temporal Jurisdiction: Jurisdiction of a state or of a court of law over a legal action as it may be affected by the effects or passage of time. | Legal Definition of Temporal Jurisdiction

Tenancy: A contract by which the owner of real property (the landlord), grants exclusive possession of that real property to another person (tenant), in exchange for the tenant's periodic payment of some sum of money (rent). | Legal Definition of Tenancy

Tenancy By The Entireties: A form of common law co-ownership where, when real property was transferred to a husband and a wife, the property could not be seized or sold unless both spouses agreed or by ending the marriage. | Legal Definition of Tenancy By The Entireties

Tenant: A person to whom a landlord grants temporary and exclusive use of land or a part of a building, usually in exchange for rent. | Legal Definition of Tenant

Tenants In Common: Share a specified proportion of ownership rights in real property and upon the death of a tenant in common, that share is transferred to the estate of the deceased tenant. | Legal Definition of Tenants In Common

Tender: An unconditional offer of a party to a contract to perform their part of the bargain. | Legal Definition of Tender

Tenement: Property that could be subject to easements. | Legal Definition of Tenement

Tenendum: Latin: to be held. In law, that part of a contract in which an interest in real property is created that sets out the extent or limitations of that interest. | Legal Definition of Tenendum

Tenure: A right of holding or occupying land or a position for a certain amount of time. | Legal Definition of Tenure

Terminal Year: A portion of a calendar year from and including January 1 to a person's date of death. | Legal Definition of Terminal Year

Territorial Sea: Waters adjacent to a state's coast and subject to its sovereignty. | Legal Definition of Territorial Sea

Terrorism: Violence against civilians intended to intimidate a population or a government from taking or abstaining from an act. | Legal Definition of Terrorism

Terry Search: A justifiable protective search for weapons, even in the absence of probable cause to arrest, where there is a suspicion that an individual is armed and dangerous. | Legal Definition of Terry Search

Testament: A document to take effect upon the death of the author and in which his or her chattels are transferred to a new owner. | Legal Definition of Testament

Testamentary Capacity: The legal ability to sign a will. | Legal Definition of Testamentary Capacity

Testamentary Trust: A trust created by a will and which takes effect upon the death of the testator. | Legal Definition of Testamentary Trust

Testator: The signatory of a valid will. | Legal Definition of Testator

Testimony: The oral evidence of a witness in a judicial proceeding, such as a trial. | Legal Definition of Testimony

Theft: To steal an item of property. | Legal Definition of Theft

Theocracy: A form of government which defers not to civil development of law, but to an interpretation of the will of a God as set out in religious scripture and authorities. | Legal Definition of Theocracy

Theory of the Case: A short, succinct statement of the theme of an action as evidence will be presented, organized and support at trial. | Legal Definition of Theory of the Case

Thin Skull Rule: An additional exposure in tort liability towards persons who are particularly vulnerable or more fragile than the norm, who may have inherent weaknesses or a pre-existing vulnerability or condition; the tort-feasor takes his victim as he finds them; he compensates for all damages he caused, even if damages are elevated compared to a norm because the plaintiff was thin skulled. | Legal Definition of Thin Skull Rule

Third Party: A person who is not privy to a contract or a party in a lawsuit. | Legal Definition of Third Party

Third Party Claim: A claim made by a defendant within existing legal proceedings seeking to enjoin a person not party to the original action, to enforce a related duty. | Legal Definition of Third Party Claim

Threat: A menace designed to intimidate the person on whom it is directed to take some action, and which carries with it some sanction if not performed. | Legal Definition of Threat

Tidal Waters: Bodies of water within a state's territorial waters and that are subject to the ebb and flow of ordinary tides, whether navigable or not, and usually excluding harbors or lakes. | Legal Definition of Tidal Waters

Time of the Essence: A contractual term requiring performance within a specified time. | Legal Definition of Time of the Essence

Time-Bar Clause: A clause in a contract which sets a strict deadline within which either party may bring a dispute to either a court or to arbitration. | Legal Definition of Time-Bar Clause

Tithe: A tenth or a recurring payment to a church usually, but not always, of a tenth of a person's earnings. | Legal Definition of Tithe

Tonnage: The carrying capacity of a ship measured in tons. | Legal Definition of Tonnage

Tontine: An arrangement very similar to joint tenancy, between several people whereby they all, initially, share the profits from some investment but once only one of the initial investors survives, said investment accruing fully to the last survivor. | Legal Definition of Tontine

Torah: A primary source of Jewish law including the Old Testament of the Bible and subsequent interpretations thereof. | Legal Definition of Torah

Torrens Land Registration System: A land registration system invented by Robert Torrens and in which the government is the keeper of the master record of all land and their owners. | Legal Definition of Torrens Land Registration System

Tort: The body of the law which allows an injured person to obtain compensation from the person who caused the injury. | Legal Definition of Tort

Tort-Feasor: The person(s) who has committed a tort. | Legal Definition of Tort-Feasor

Torture: The intentional infliction of pain or suffering on an animal or a person and as for the latter, even if for the purpose of obtaining information such as a confession or the names of accomplices, or as a punishment for crime. | Legal Definition of Torture

Totten Trust: Money placed in a bank account with the instruction that upon the settler's death, whatever is in that bank account will pass to a named beneficiary. | Legal Definition of Totten Trust

Towage: The assistance given by one vessel to accelerate the progress of another. | Legal Definition of Towage

Toxicologist: An expert in the science of toxicology, the study of the adverse effects of chemical, physical or biological agents such as drugs or poisons. | Legal Definition of Toxicologist

Tracing: A process of identifying the substitute of an original asset claimed by the plaintiff. | Legal Definition of Tracing

Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Angliae: 1188 statement of English common law. | Legal Definition of Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Angliae

Trade Fixtures: Fixtures created during the course of a commercial lease and which revert to the tenant at the end of the lease if removable without damage. | Legal Definition of Trade Fixtures

Trade Libel: Defamatory statements made in regards to the quality of a business' product(s) or services. | Legal Definition of Trade Libel

Trade Secret: Unique and discreet commercial information. | Legal Definition of Trade Secret

Trade Union: A defined group of employees formed for the purposes of representing those employees with the employer as to the terms of a collective contract of employment. | Legal Definition of Trade Union

Trademark: A word, name, logo or slogan used by a person selling goods or services to distinguish and identify their goods or services from those of another. | Legal Definition of Trademark

Traffic Ticket: A written notice to a driver of a suspected violation of traffic law, and specifics thereof. | Legal Definition of Traffic Ticket

Trafficking: The selling or involvement in commercial activity of something for which commercial activity is unlawful | Legal Definition of Trafficking

Transcript: An official direct and verbatim written record of what was said, as in a court of law or other judicial proceedings, or even private conversations. | Legal Definition of Transcript

Transfer: Delivery from one person to another of property. | Legal Definition of Transfer

Transferee: A person who receives property being transferred. | Legal Definition of Transferee

Transferor: The person from whom title or ownership to property moves. | Legal Definition of Transferor

Transit In Rem Judicatam: Latin: The cause of action is changed into matter of record, which is of a higher nature, and the inferior remedy is merged in the higher. | Legal Definition of Transit In Rem Judicatam

Transmutation: The conversion of a separate property asset into marital property intentionally or by virtue of words and actions during marriage. | Legal Definition of Transmutation

Traverse: To deny an allegation or the validity of an office or of some other official act. | Legal Definition of Traverse

Treason: To aid or enlist with a state enemy or to attempt or conspire to harm the head of state, such as a king, queen or president. | Legal Definition of Treason

Treaty: A formal agreement between two states signed by official representatives of each state. | Legal Definition of Treaty

Trespass: Unlawful interference with another’s person, property or rights. | Legal Definition of Trespass

Triage: To sort or choose, especially as a process used to determine the urgency or need for emergency care based on a preliminary assessment or observation. | Legal Definition of Triage

Trial: The resolution of a dispute by examination of evidence submitted by opposing litigants by a tribunal or Court of law, and determination of (1) guilt (in a criminal trial) or (2) of a civil dispute of fact or law. | Legal Definition of Trial

Trial by Battle: An ancient dispute resolution method where those in dispute would fight one another until submission or death. | Legal Definition of Trial by Battle

Trial by Ordeal: The trial of a criminal or civil action, in medieval England, by torture or drowning. | Legal Definition of Trial by Ordeal

Tribal Sovereign Immunity: (USA) A doctrine that Indian tribes are immune from judicial proceedings without their consent or Congressional waiver. | Legal Definition of Tribal Sovereign Immunity

Tribal Sovereignty: (USA) A doctrine which recognizes Indian tribes' inherent powers to self-govern, to determine the structure and internal operations of the governing body itself, and exemption from state law that would otherwise infringe upon this sovereignty. | Legal Definition of Tribal Sovereignty

Trinoda Necessitas: Latin: three necessities owed all common law landowners to the kingdom. | Legal Definition of Trinoda Necessitas

Trite Law: A principle of law so notorious and entrenched that it is commonly known and rarely disputed. | Legal Definition of Trite Law

Trover: An old English and common law legal proceeding against a person who had found someone else’s property and has converted that property to their own purposes. | Legal Definition of Trover

Truancy: The willful and unjustified absence of a child from school. | Legal Definition of Truancy

Trust: A legal obligation with respect to property given by a person (donor) to another (trustee) to the advantage of a beneficiary | Legal Definition of Trust

Trustee: A person who holds property rights for the benefit of another. | Legal Definition of Trustee

Trustee De Son Tort: A person who is not a regularly appointed trustee but because of interference with the trust can be held by a court as constructive trustee which entails liability for losses to the trust. | Legal Definition of Trustee De Son Tort

Tyranny: A form of government other than a monarchy in which the formal written constitution is not adhered to and is broken by force of arms by a single person who then undertakes to rule as a monarch and primarily in his personal interests. | Legal Definition of Tyranny