Latin meaning "universal thing.” Something that is shared with and owned by the community for public purposes and cannot be acquired by any individual or private entity. It has been understood to also mean something in the "public domain". It may also refer to something shared with and owned by a specific community of which all members can freely use independently. … [Read more...]

Latin meaning the "public thing". The phrase generally means "as pertaining to the public" (or "the state" or "the commonwealth"). "Thing" may also be understood as a "public matter" or a "public affair".   … [Read more...]

The concept of reverse incorporation is that the Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments) which was ratified in 1791 also incorporated parts of the Fourteenth Amendment - which was ratified 77 years later in 1868. The Incorporation Doctrine is the concept that the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution (the later document) "incorporated" the Bill of Rights (the earlier … [Read more...]

Lat. A rude, unlearned, or unlettered tribunal; a term sometimes applied to arbitrators selected by the parties to settle a dispute. See Underbill v. Van Cortlandt, 2 Johns. Ch. (N. Y.) 339; Dickinson v. Chesapeake … [Read more...]

Lat. In mart-time law. A rough or rude judgment or decision. A judgment in admiralty dividing the damages caused by a collision between 2 ships. … [Read more...]