What dictionary is used in the court of law?

Asked by: Christophe Haag  |  Last update: March 19, 2025
Score: 4.5/5 (73 votes)

The two most commonly used legal dictionaries are Black's Law Dictionary and Ballentine's Law Dictionary. Print copies of Black's are located on dictionary stands on the fourth and fifth floors. For online access: Black's Law Dictionary (Westlaw)

What dictionaries do lawyers use?

Black's Law Dictionary is the most frequently used U.S. legal dictionary. It is available in print and on Westlaw. Other popular dictionaries include: Ballentine's Law Dictionary available in print and on LexisNexis.

What words do lawyers use in court?

The following definitions will make it easier for you to understand common legal words and phrases used frequently during a trial.
  • Action, Case, Suit. A legal dispute brought into court for a hearing or trial.
  • Answer. ...
  • Acquit. ...
  • Cause of Action. ...
  • Challenge for Cause. ...
  • Closing Argument. ...
  • Complaint. ...
  • Counterclaim.

Do lawyers use Black's Law Dictionary?

Black's Law Dictionary is the most commonly used law dictionary in the United States. The newly published 12th edition (2024) is available in Westlaw and is also available in print in the Law Library's reference section on the 3rd floor at KF 156 .

Does Black's Law Dictionary hold up in court?

The most cited law book in the world, cited over 250 times by the U.S. Supreme Court since 2000. Completely revised with new material on every page and over 2,500 new entries!

Top 10 Legal Terms You Need to Know: A Beginner's Guide to Understanding the Law

21 related questions found

What dictionary do courts use?

The two most commonly used legal dictionaries are Black's Law Dictionary and Ballentine's Law Dictionary. Print copies of Black's are located on dictionary stands on the fourth and fifth floors. For online access: Black's Law Dictionary (Westlaw)

What is controversy Black's Law Dictionary?

A litigated question; adversary proceeding In a court of law; a civil action or suit, either at law or In equity.

What dictionary does the Supreme Court use?

The Supreme Court has referred to dictionaries in its opinions over 664 times. In recent years, almost every major case and many minor ones find the justices, or their clerks, thumbing through Webster's Third or the Oxford English Dictionary.

What is confidential in Black's Law Dictionary?

Confidentiality (which is about data) involves restricting the flow of. information. The term that applies to something that has the quality of being. confidential, secret or privileged. ( Black's Law Dictionary)

Who wrote Black's Law Dictionary?

The First Edition of Black's Law Dictionary

Henry Campbell Black (1860—1927) was born in Ossining, New York. He was educated at Trinity College in Connecticut, from which he received a bachelor's degree in 1880, a master's degree in 1887, and an LLD in 1916.

What not to say in court?

Don't lie about anything, not even white [small] lies. If you are discovered to be lying, the judge may find it hard to believe you when you are telling the truth. Don't argue with the questioner. Don't ask questions back: “What would you do if…”

What do judges call lawyers in court?

counsel - Legal advice; a term used to refer to lawyers in a case. counterclaim - A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff. Counterclaims can often be brought within the same proceedings as the plaintiff's claims.

What does JS mean in court?

JS is most likley a judgment stay of a period of time giving the accused the ability to pay up within 10 days.

What is the B word for lawyer?

barrister, counsellor, legal adviser. in the sense of barrister. a lawyer who is qualified to plead in the higher courts.

Can you access Black's Law Dictionary on Westlaw?

Black's Law Dictionary, 11th ed. can be found on Westlaw.

What is common law Merriam Webster?

noun. : the body of law developed in England primarily from judicial decisions based on custom and precedent, unwritten in statute or code, and constituting the basis of the English legal system and of the system in all of the U.S. except Louisiana.

Is Black's Law Dictionary legit?

Black's Law Dictionary is the most frequently used legal dictionary in the United States. Henry Campbell Black (1860–1927) was the author of the first two editions of the dictionary.

What is sui juris blacks Law Dictionary?

BLACK'S Law Dictionary defines 'sui juris' as Of his own right; possessing full social and civil rights; not under any legal disability, or the power of another, or guardianship. Having capacity to manage one's own affairs; not under legal disability to act for one's self.

Which Black's Law Dictionary is best?

Black's. The greatly expanded 11th edition, with new material on every page, is at once the most practical, comprehensive, scholarly, and authoritative law dictionary ever published.

What dictionary does the federal government use?

USG Compendium of Interagency and Associated Terms identifies standard terminology experienced in cooperation activities of the Federal branches of government and their components.

What is the most used dictionary in the United States?

"Webster's" has since become a genericized trademark in the United States for US English dictionaries, and is widely used in dictionary titles. Merriam-Webster is the corporate heir to Noah Webster's original works, which are in the public domain.

Can a dictionary be used in court?

In legalese, a dictionary is a “secondary authority” in a case. Just as a congressional hearing could be used to better understand the intent of a specific law, a law dictionary can be consulted to enhance the meaning of a general word like malice or lawful.

What is obscene in Black's Law Dictionary?

According to Black's Law Dictionary obscenity means character or quality of being obscene, conduct, tending to corrupt the public merely by its indecency ... lewdness. According to Webster's New International Dictionary, word 'obscene' means disgusting to the senses, usually because of some filthy grotesque.

What is misappropriation Black's Law Dictionary?

According to Black's Law Dictionary, "misappropriation" is the "act of misappropriating or turning to a wrong purpose; wrong appropriation, a term that doesn't necessarily mean peculation, although it may mean that.

What is bad faith in Black's law?

What is bad faith? Bad faith is the actual or constructive fraud or a design to mislead or deceive another or a neglect or refusal to fulfill a duty or contractual obligation. It is not an honest mistake. Black's Law Dictionary, Revised Fourth Edition, West Publishing Company, St.