Definitions from Case Law
U.S. Supreme Court case-identified definitions — browse every term in this dictionary, A–Z.
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stock certificates and undelivered dividends thereon may also be abandoned property subject to the disposition of the domiciliary state of the corporation when the whereabouts of t
a seizure, or capture, call it which we may, if once abandoned, without the influence of superior force, loses all its validity, and becomes a complete nullity. Like the common cas
- abandonmentdefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Stimson (1881)Burrill (1850)Bouvier (1839)
by the word 'abandonment,' I understand a yielding, ceding, or giving up; and, in general, it applies to cases, where there has been a great loss, and the assured, resorting to the
The certificate issues not primarily to protect the railroad, but to protect interstate commerce from undue burdens or discrimination. The Commission by its order removes an obstru
The insurance is but a wager between the parties to it, on the safety of the vessel. By the rule of the contract the ship may be abandoned, and the whole insurance claimed, when th
The physical alteration of facilities is not a sine qua non restricting the Commission's jurisdiction under § 7(b). A natural-gas company that ceases taking and transporting gas, w
if an inventor makes his discovery public, looks on, and permits others freely to use it, without objection or assertion of claim to the invention, of which the public might take n
Mere forbearance to apply for a patent during the progress of experiments, and until the party has perfected his invention and tested its value by actual practice, affords no just
An inventor may abandon his invention, and surrender or dedicate it to the public. This inchoate right, thus once gone, cannot afterwards be resumed at his pleasure; for, where gif
An actual abandonment of possession by a locator of a mining claim, such as would work an abandonment of any other easement, would terminate all the right of possession which the l
The election, then, by the Kohnyo claimant, filed in the land office June 14, 1898, was an abandonment of the south 700 feet of the Kohnyo claim, which took effect eo instanti.
Discontinuance of operations by the trustee is abandonment of operations by a carrier within the meaning of § 1(18).
No matter by what means an invention may be communicated to the public, before a patent is obtained; any acquiescence in the public use, by the inventor, will be an abandonment of
- abatementdefined inCase LawU.S. CodeCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Black's (1891)Burrill (1850)Bouvier (1839)
The possible abatement—partial reduction or annulment—there referred to depended upon the future decision of the Commissioner.
dissolution of a corporation at common law abates all litigation in which the corporation is appearing either as plaintiff or defendant
in courts of equity, an abatement of the suit, by the death of a party, has always been held to have a very different effect; for such abatement amounts to a mere suspension, and n
in real and personal actions, the death of either party, before judgment, did at common law abate the suit; and... the 31st section of the Judiciary Act of 1789, c. 20., was necess
While it is true that the duty required concerns the state, the suit is against [the officer] as an individual, and he alone can be punished for the failure to obey an injunction,
There is a material distinction between the death of parties before judgment and after judgment, and while a writ of error is depending. In the former case, all personal actions by
- abetdefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Bouvier (1914)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Stimson (1881)Burrill (1850)
[t]o encourage or set another on to commit a crime"); Black's Law Dictionary 6 (1891) (to "abet" is "[t]o encourage, incite, or set another on to commit a crime.
not merely present inhabitants, but present inhabitancy coupled with an intention of permanent residence.
income of any class described in paragraph (2) includible in the gross income of the taxpayer for any taxable year under this subchapter if it is abnormal for the taxpayer to deriv
The statute abolished the fellow-servant rule. If the injury was due to the neglect of a co-employee in the performance of his duty, that neglect must be attributed to the employer
any instrument, medicine, drug, or any other substance or device which is known to cause fetal death when employed in the usual and customary use for which it is manufactured, whet
- abortiondefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Burrill (1850)Bouvier (1839)
the termination of human pregnancy with an intention other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus.
a clinic, physician's office, or any other place or facility in which abortions are performed, other than a hospital.
- aboutdefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Bouvier (1914)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)
around, doesn't it? "[A.] It was, your Honor, it was meant to mean about the rear wall, between the speakers.
- abovedefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Bouvier (1914)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Anderson (1889)
any employe who is a member of the Union and is not more than sixty (60) days in arrears in the payment of membership dues.
the Twenty-fourth Amendment does not merely insure that the franchise shall not be 'denied' by reason of failure to pay the poll tax; it expressly guarantees that the right to vote
an incorporeal political being, which requires for its existence the presence of the judges.
the Act as construed and applied is unconstitutional because it requires an official act (viz., returning the reply card) as a limitation on the unfettered exercise of the addresse
Negligence is not the basis for liability under the Act. Instead it 'imposes upon the carrier an absolute and continuing duty to maintain the locomotive, and all parts and appurten
the maritime law attaches an absolute and unconditional lien upon the property. The possession is not necessary to its validity. Indeed, in cases of seaman's wages and bottomry, th
The well-settled rule in equity is, that it is not competent to show by parol evidence that an absolute deed was intended only as a mortgage, except upon the ground that the writte
Sections 1 and 9 of the safety Appliance Act converts this qualified duty imposed by the common law into an absolute duty, from the violation of which there arises a liability for
[T]he forfeiture becomes absolute at the commission of the prohibited acts, and that the title from that moment vests in the United States in all cases where the statute in terms d
absolute immunity from federal criminal prosecution for offenses disclosed by the evidence must be given a person compelled to testify after claim of privilege against self-incrimi
Absolute' in § 4 carried the gloss of its predecessor statutes, meaning undiminished, not exclusive.
Absolute liability, of course, arises irrespective of how the tortfeasor conducts himself; it is imposed automatically when any damages are sustained as a result of the decision to
to the extent of their debts creditors are entitled to priority over stockholders against all the property of an insolvent corporation
the proscriptions of these three subsections are absolute. Unlike § 2(a), none of them requires, as proof of a prima facie violation, a showing that the illicit practice has had an
it must be a distinct and unequivocal absolute refusal to perform the promise, and must be treated and acted upon as such by the party to whom the promise was made; for if he after
Absorption' should be read to include the introduction of moisture from the outside and the incorporation of water into the butter, whether it is technically an absorption or not.
a doctrine of abstention appropriate to our federal system whereby the federal courts, 'exercising a wise discretion', restrain their authority because of 'scrupulous regard for th
the mere abstract teaching of the moral propriety or even moral necessity for a resort to force and violence, is not the same as preparing a group for violent action and steeling i
Federal courts will not pass upon constitutional contentions presented in an abstract rather than in a concrete form.
General terms descriptive of a class of persons made subject to a criminal statute may and should be limited, where the literal application of the statute would lead to extreme or
the principle is to be applied to override the literal terms of a statute only under rare and exceptional circumstances... to justify a departure from the letter of the law upon th
Such an abuse would take place if the summons had been issued for an improper purpose, such as to harass the taxpayer or to put pressure on him to settle a collateral dispute, or f
proper standard of review of a district court's evidentiary rulings.
if a prisoner deliberately withholds one of two grounds for federal collateral relief at the time of filing his first application, in the hope of being granted two hearings rather
enhancing the freedom of teachers to teach what they will," "ante," at 586 —even though "academic freedom" in that sense has little scope in the structured elementary and secondary
- acceptancedefined inCase LawBallentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Anderson (1889)Stimson (1881)Burrill (1850)Bouvier (1839)
Acceptors of a bill of exchange, by the act of acceptance, admit the genuineness of the signatures of the drawers, and the competency of the drawers to assume that responsibility.
An acceptance is not a collateral engagement to pay the debt of another: it is an absolute engagement to pay the money to the holder of the bill; and the engagements of all the oth
It is to be borne in mind that the power of the President under the Constitution to grant pardons and the right of a witness must be kept in accommodation. Both have sanction in th
Any stranger has a right to intervene in case of the non-acceptance, or non-payment of a bill of exchange. This is an established usage in commercial operations, and contributes es
the doctrine is well established, that the acceptor is bound to know the handwriting of the drawer, and cannot defend himself from payment by a subsequent discovery of the forgery
The general rule undoubtedly is, that the drawee by accepting the bill admits the handwriting of the drawer; but not of the indorsers. And the holder is bound to know that the prev
- accessiondefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Burrill (1850)Bouvier (1839)
One who knowingly takes the property of another cannot, by changing its form or increasing its value, or by commingling it with other property of his own, acquire title by accessio
Here there was no shrinkage of assets and the taxpayer made a clear gain. As a result of its dealings it made available $137,521.30 assets previously offset by the obligation of bo
The mortgage can have no separate existence. When the note is paid the mortgage expires. It cannot survive for a moment the debt which the note represents. This dependent and incid
- accessorydefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Bouvier (1914)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Anderson (1889)Stimson (1881)Burrill (1850)
any article designed to be used in connection with such vehicle to add to its utility or ornamentation and which is primarily adapted for such use, whether or not essential to the
- accidentdefined inCase LawU.S. CodeBallentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Burrill (1850)Bouvier (1839)
something over which you have no control the cross-examination would have been right now and you would not have had an opportunity to talk to him.
the carefully chosen words defining liability distinguish between the result and the external means which produces it. The insurance is not against an accidental result. The stipul
- accommodationdefined inCase LawU.S. CodeCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Black's (1891)Bouvier (1839)
Organization rights are granted to workers by the same authority, the National Government, that preserves property rights. Accommodation between the two must be obtained with as li
The various parties to an accommodation bill, where no consideration has passed as among themselves, are not, unless by special agreement, bound to pay in equal proportions as co-s
The fact that these parties were accommodation endorsers does not make them co-sureties, bound to contribute equally to the payment of the bills, without a special agreement to tha
It seems settled in England, by the case of Nicholson v. Gouthit, that the law with regard to a promissory note is different, and that, if in any case where the notice is made for
An accommodation maker is not allowed that defense [of no consideration] as against the receiver of the bank and its creditors, or at times even as against the bank itself, where h
One article or thing is accompanied by another when it supplements or explains it, in the manner that a committee report of the Congress accompanies a bill. No physical attachment
That is, when, instead of a sale for a price, a thing is given by the debtor to the creditor in payment, in which we all know that, if the thing given is the property of another, t
- Accountdefined inCase LawU.S. CodeCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Bouvier (1914)Black's (1910)Black's (1891)Stimson (1881)Burrill (1850)Bouvier (1839)
An account is something which may be adjusted and liquidated by an arithmetical computation.
An account which has ceased to run is an account closed. An account closed is an account stated; and it is expressly decided that an account stated is not excepted from the general
It is a phrase well known as referring to the auditors and controllers of the treasury, who pass upon all claims against the government before they can be paid out of the public tr
The right to an account of profits is incident to the right to an injunction in copy and patent-right cases.
- account stateddefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Bouvier (1914)Black's (1910)Black's (1891)Burrill (1850)
No balance was arrived at as the result of computation and agreement. The Commissioner did not inform the taxpayer that the tax had been overpaid in a determinate amount. The taxpa
- accretiondefined inCase LawBallentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Anderson (1889)Stimson (1881)Burrill (1850)
when changes take place by the slow and gradual process of accretion the boundary moves with the shifting in the main channel's course
It is the established rule that a riparian proprietor of land bounded by a stream, the banks of which are changed by the gradual and imperceptible process of accretion or erosion,
Such uncertainty destroys any conception of accrued as involving a right to receive or an obligation to pay, elements which we think are essential for accruals under our decisions.
whether a return is made on the accrual basis, or on that of actual receipts and disbursements, is not determined by the label which the taxpayer chooses to place upon it. The use
for an accrual basis taxpayer 'it is the right to receive and not the actual receipt that determines the inclusion of the amount in gross income
The word 'accrued,' whether applied to causes of action for personal injury or for wrongful death, be taken to apply uniformly to the time when the events have occurred which deter
Accrued income under § 42 for uncompleted operations includes the value of the services rendered by the decedent, capable of approximate valuation whether based on the agreed compe
Accumulated profits' of the subsidiary are defined as 'the amount of its gains, profits, or income in excess of the income, war-profits, and excess-profits taxes imposed upon or wi
the amount of its gains, profits, or income in excess of the income, war-profits, and excess-profits taxes imposed upon or with respect to such profits or income.
- accusationdefined inCase LawBallentine's (1916)Bouvier (1914)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Bouvier (1839)
each factual element of the crime of which a defendant is accused.
Under our system society carries the burden of proving its charge against the accused not out of his own mouth. It must establish its case, not by interrogation of the accused even
The Commission very clearly exercises an accusatory function; it is empowered to be used and allegedly is used to find named individuals guilty of violating the criminal laws of Lo
- accuseddefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Bouvier (1914)Black's (1910)Black's (1891)
the Sixth Amendment speedy trial provision has no application until the putative defendant in some way becomes an 'accused' . . . . It is either a formal indictment or information
Congress intended that to give validity to such a will it was necessary not only that it be in fact acknowledged by the testator before the officer, but that the officer place a ce
If there be no express promise, but a promise is to be raised by implication of law from the acknowledgement of the party, such acknowledgement ought to contain an unqualified and
- acknowledgmentdefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Bouvier (1914)Black's (1910)Black's (1891)Anderson (1889)Burrill (1850)
there could be no acknowledgment of the deed within the requisitions of the statute until the blanks were filled and the instrument complete. Till then there was no deed to be ackn
this is not a suit against the original debtor. It is brought against his representative, who may have no personal knowledge of the transaction. Declarations against him have never
It is not then sufficient to take the case out of the act, that the claim should be proved or be acknowledged to have been originally just; the acknowledgment must go to the fact t
an acknowledgment which will revive the original cause of action, must be unqualified and unconditional. It must show positively that the debt is due in whole or in part. If it be
a tax to be expended in a manner which shall promote the general prosperity and welfare of the municipality which levies it.
- acquiescencedefined inCase LawCyclopedic (1922)Ballentine's (1916)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Anderson (1889)
to constitute acquiescence within the meaning of this rule, something more than acceptance of the smaller sum without protest must be shown. There must have been some conduct on th
- acquiredefined inCase LawU.S. CodeCyclopedic (1922)Black's (1910)Kinney (1893)Black's (1891)Anderson (1889)
simply to come into possession, control, or power of disposal of.
The word 'acquired' is not a term of art in the law of property but one in common use. The plain import of the word is 'obtained as one's own'. Language used in tax statutes should
the test in this type of case is not whether respondent had full enjoyment of the property prior to the delivery of the securities to him but whether he earlier had acquired an int