the Constitution

Catholic Social Services, Inc. v.

Curtilage is the area immediately surrounding and associated with a dwelling. Curtilage is treated as part of the home for many Fourth Amendment purposes, including searches and many self-defense laws. When considering whether something is in a dwelling's curtilage, courts consider four factors:

Custodial interrogation refers to the questioning of a detained person by law enforcement officers in connection with a criminal investigation.

De facto segregation was a term used during the 1960s racial integration efforts in schools, to describe a situation in which legislation did not overtly segregate students by race, but nevertheless school segregation continued. In Balsbaugh v. Rowland, 447 Pa.

• constitutional law

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 varies in their standards for defamation and potential damages.

• slander
• libel
• defamation
• absolute immunity
• qualified immunity
• tort law

A defense is an act of protecting one’s own interests. In common law, a defendant may use defenses to prevent or limit liability.

Desecration generally refers to treating a sacred or highly respected place, object, symbol, or site with disrespect, irreverence, or contempt. In law, the meaning of desecration depends on the statute or context, but it often involves intentionally defacing, damaging, physically mistreating, or otherwise violating protected property, symbols, or sites. Such actions violate the sanctity or sacredness of something considered holy or highly respected by a group or individual.

Discrimination refers to different treatment for similarly situated parties, especially when no legitimate reason appears to exist. For example, an employer who rejects all female applicants and hires the first male applicant with the same qualifications might be discriminating on the basis of gender. See also: employment discrimination.

Disenfranchisement commonly refers to the act of removing or restricting political power from a person or group, often in the form of revoking or restricting their voting rights. Disenfranchisement is the restriction of suffrage.

Disparate impact (also “adverse impact”) commonly refers to unintentional discriminatory practice, whereas disparate treatment (also “adverse treatment”) refers to intentional discriminatory practice.