In the legal context, a decision is a judicial determination of parties’ rights and obligations reached by a court based on facts and law. A decision can mean either the act of delivering a court’s order or the text of the court’s opinion...
civil procedure
declarant
A declarant is a person who makes a statement they allege to be true. Typically, such statements are written and signed. A declarant is sometimes referred to as an affiant if the declarant's statement takes the form of a sworn affidavit....
declaration
A declaration is an official statement, or proclamation, such as an affidavit. If the person making the declaration (called the declarant) lies in it, the declarant may be guilty of perjury.
[Last updated in September of 2022 by the...
declaration of mailing
Declaration of mailing is a document that must be filed to show that court required materials have been mailed to the proper recipient. This document is required for many documents such as serving someone by mail. This document ensures that...
declaration under penalty of perjury
Declaration under penalty of perjury is a statement of facts or testimony accompanied by the declaration that the person making the statement will be found guilty of perjury if the facts declared in the statement are shown to be untrue. A...
declaratory judgment
A declaratory judgment is a binding judgment from a court defining the legal relationship between parties and their rights in a matter before the court. When there is uncertainty as to the legal obligations or rights between two parties, a...
declaratory relief
Declaratory relief refers to a court’s declaratory judgment stating the rights of parties without ordering any specific action or listing awards for damages. Declaratory relief allows a party who is not certain of his rights to prevent the...
decree
A decree is an order handed down by a judge that resolves the issues in a court case. Though a decree is similar to a judgment, it differs in a few key ways:
Historically, courts of equity, admiralty, divorce, or probate could make...dedimus potestatum
Dedimus potestatem (which translates to “we have given the power”) is an outdated term that refers to some special authority granted to an individual by a court. In American law, the term means authority given to someone to depose a witness....
defamation
Defamation is a statement that injures a third party's reputation. The tort of defamation includes both libel (written statements) and slander (spoken statements). State common law and statutory law governs defamation actions, and each state...