Amount in controversy refers to the amount of money a plaintiff seeks in a lawsuit. The monetary value of a non-monetary remedy such as an injunction can also be included in the amount in controversy. For a case to be heard in district court...
courts
anchoring
In negotiations, “anchoring” refers to the common tendency of giving undue weight to the first value or number put forth, and to then inadequately adjust from or counter the first value or number, or the “anchor.”
Thus the...
ancillary jurisdiction
Ancillary jurisdiction allows a federal court to hear a claim that would normally be outside of its subject-matter jurisdiction if it is substantially related to a second claim that is within the court's jurisdiction. A claim comes within a...
answer
An answer is a reply to a question or a solution to a problem.
In law, an answer refers to a defendant’s first formal written statement to a plaintiff’s initial petition or complaint. This opening written statement will...
anticipatory warrant
An anticipatory search warrant is a warrant that is based on an affidavit that shows probable cause that evidence of a particular crime (such as forged checks) will be at a specified location at some time (however not presently) in the future...
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA)
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA) was passed by the 107th Congress “to deter terrorism, provide justice for victims, provide for an effective death penalty, and for other purposes.” To accomplish this goal, some of...
appear
Appear is the verb for when a party makes an appearance at trial. You can appear either in person or virtually, though both options are not always available in any given court.
For more specific information, see appearance...
appearance
A party enters an appearance when they show up to court in response to a service of process. Appearance isn’t only a reference to physical presence in court when required, but also to procedural compliance (e.g., filing an answer,...
appellant
Appellant is the party who appeals a lower court's judgment or order to a higher court. The appellant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the proceeding and seeks review by a higher court to overturn or modify the decision. In some courts, it...
appellate court
Appellate court is the higher court that hears and reviews the appeals from legal cases that have already been heard and ruled on in a lower court. Appellate courts are present at both the state and federal levels and feature only a committee...