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Click on the first letter of the
word from the list above to go to the appropriate section of the glossary.
- I -
Immunity:
Grant by the court, which assures someone will not
face prosecution in return for providing criminal
evidence.
Impaneling:
Selecting a jury from the list of potential jurors.
Impeach:
Attacking the credibility of a witness.
Impeachment of a
Witness: An attack on the credibility
(believability) of a witness, through evidence
introduced for that purpose.
Incarcerate:
To confine in jail.
Inadmissible:
That which, under the rules of evidence, cannot be
admitted or received as evidence.
In Camera: In
a judge's chambers; in private.
In Camera
Inspection: Judge's private inspection of a
document prior to his or her ruling on its
admissibility or use at trial.
In Camera
Proceedings. Trial or proceeding in a place not
open to the public, usually in a judge's chambers.
Indemnify: To
restore the victim of a loss, either in whole or in
part, by payment of money or repair or replacement
of the thing lost.
Independent
Executor: A special kind of executor, permitted
by the laws of certain states, who performs the
duties of an executor without intervention by the
court.
Indeterminate
Sentence: A sentence of imprisonment to a
specified minimum and maximum period of time,
specifically authorized by statute, subject to
termination by a parole board or other authorized
agency after the prisoner has served the minimum
term.
Indictment: A
written accusation by a grand jury charging a person
with a crime.
Indigent:
Needy or impoverished. A defendant who can
demonstrate his or her indigence to the court may be
assigned a court-appointed attorney at public
expense.
Information:
Accusatory document, filed by the prosecutor,
detailing the charges against the defendant. An
alternative to an indictment, it serves to bring a
defendant to trial.
Informed Consent:
Person's agreement to allow something to happen,
such as a medical procedure, that is based on full
disclosure of the facts necessary to make an
intelligent decision.
In Forma Pauperis:
In the manner of a pauper. Permission given to a
person to sue without payment of court fees on claim
of indigence or poverty.
Infraction: A
violation of law not punishable by imprisonment.
Minor traffic offenses generally are considered
infractions.
Inheritance Tax:
A state tax on property that an heir or beneficiary
under a will receives from a deceased person's
estate. The heir or beneficiary pays this tax.
Initial
Appearance: In criminal law, the hearing at
which a judge determines whether there is sufficient
evidence against a person charged with a crime to
hold him or her for trial. The Constitution bans
secret accusations, so initial appearances are
public unless the defendant asks otherwise; the
accused must be present, though he or she usually
does not offer evidence. Also called first
appearance.
Injunction:
Writ or order by a court prohibiting a specific
action from being carried out by a person or group.
A preliminary injunction is granted provisionally,
until a full hearing can be held to determine if it
should be made permanent.
In Propria
Persona: In court's it refers to persons who
present their own case without lawyers. See Pro Se.
Instructions:
Judge's explanation to the jury before it begins
deliberations of the questions it must answer and
the applicable law governing the case. Also called
charge.
Intangible Assets:
Nonphysical items such as stock certificates, bonds,
bank accounts, and pension benefits that have value
and must be taken into account in estate planning.
Intentional
Inflication of Emotional Distress: -
Intentionally causing severe emotional distress by
extreme or outrageous conduct.
Interlocutory:
Provisional; not final. An interlocutory order or an
interlocutory appeal concerns only a part of the
issues raised in a lawsuit.
Interrogatories:
Written questions asked by one party in a lawsuit
for which the opposing party must provide written
answers.
Intervention:
An action by which a third person who may be
affected by a lawsuit is permitted to become a party
to the suit. Differs from the process of becoming an
amicus curiae.
Inter Vivos Gift:
A gift made during the giver's life.
Inter Vivos Trust:
Another name for a living trust.
Intestacy Laws:
See descent and distribution statutes.
Intestate:
Dying without a will.
Intestate
Succession: The process by which the property of
a person who has died without a will passes on to
others according to the state's descent and
distribution statutes. If someone dies without a
will, and the court uses the state’s interstate
succession laws, an heir who receives some of the
deceased's property is an intestate heir.
Invitee: A
person is an invitee on land if he enters land by
invitation; his entry is connected with business
being conducted on the land by the possessor of
land; and the possessor of land is benefited by the
entry.
Irrevocable Trust:
A trust that, once set up, the grantor may not
revoke.
Irritable Bowel
Syndrome: A condition of abnormally increased
spontaneous movement (motility) of the small and
large intestine, generally stress can contribute to
this condition.
Ischemic Colitis:
An inflammation caused by interference with the
blood flow to the large intestine. This lack of
blood flow leads to death of tissue.
Issue: (1) The
disputed point in a disagreement between parties in
a lawsuit. (2) To send out officially, as in to
issue an order.
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