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punishment

(Encyclopedia)punishment: see capital punishment; corporal punishment; criminal law; prison. ...

Ellenborough, Edward Law, 1st earl of

(Encyclopedia)Ellenborough, Edward Law, 1st earl of ĕlˈənbûrˌə [key], 1790–1871, British statesman; son of the 1st Baron Ellenborough. He served as president of the Board of Control of the East India Compan...

Ellenborough, Edward Law, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Ellenborough, Edward Law, 1st Baron, 1750–1818, British jurist and statesman. He achieved fame through his successful defense of Warren Hastings in the impeachment trial (1788–95), but his princip...

assault

(Encyclopedia)assault, in law, an attempt or threat, going beyond mere words, to use violence, with the intent and the apparent ability to do harm to another. If violent contact actually occurs, the offense of batt...

Salic law, laws of the Salian Franks

(Encyclopedia)Salic law: see Germanic laws.

crime

(Encyclopedia)crime: see criminal law; criminology; gang; juvenile delinquency; organized crime. ...

arrest

(Encyclopedia)arrest, in law, seizure and detention of a person, either to bring him before a court body or official, or to otherwise secure the administration of the law. A person may be arrested for an alleged vi...

pardon

(Encyclopedia)pardon, in law, exemption from punishment for a criminal conviction granted by the grace of the executive of a government. A general pardon to a class of persons guilty of the same offense (e.g., insu...

Fortas, Abe

(Encyclopedia)Fortas, Abe fôrˈtəs [key], 1910–82, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1965–69), b. Memphis, Tenn. After receiving his law degree from Yale in 1933, he taught there (1933–37) and al...

contempt

(Encyclopedia)contempt, in law, interference with the functioning of a legislature or court. In its narrow and more usual sense, contempt refers to the despising of the authority, justice, or dignity of a court. A ...