Apartheid refers to the implementation and maintenance of a system of legalized racial segregation in which one racial group is deprived of political and civil rights. Apartheid is a crime against humanity punishable under the Rome Statute of...
CIVICS
APN
APN is the shorthand for assessor’s parcel number.
[Last updated in December of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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...
applicable exclusion amount
The applicable exclusion amount (also known as unified credit) refers to the total gifts and estate transfers exempted from an individual’s gift and estate taxes. Every U.S. citizen has an applicable exclusion amount for all gifts made inter...
arbitrary
1. When used in reference to a judge’s ruling in a court case, arbitrary means based on individual discretion rather than a fair application of the law. For example, finding someone guilty of a crime simply because they have a beard would be an...
Arizona v. United States (2012)
The Supreme Court case which held sections 3, 5(C), and 6 of Arizona’s Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (S.B. 1070) were preempted by federal law, but that section 2(B) must be allowed to be construed in practice before...
armed conflict
Armed conflicts are contextualized into two different categories: international armed conflicts and domestic armed conflicts. International armed conflicts occur when there is conflict between two or more states. Domestic armed conflicts...
Arms Export Control Act (1976)
The Arms Export Control Act authorizes the President to control the import and export of defense articles and services. If the President chooses, they can issue a license to an individual or organization that wishes to export defense articles...
arraignment
An arraignment is the first step in a criminal proceeding where the defendant is brought in front of the court to hear the charges against them and enter a plea.
See, e.g. County of Riverside v. McLaughlin 500 U.S. 44 (1991...
arrest
An arrest is the use of legal authority to deprive a person of their freedom of movement.
An arrest is generally made with an arrest warrant. An arrest may be made without a warrant if probable cause and exigent...