criminal law and procedure

Limiting instructions is a directive from a judge advising the jury to consider certain evidence only for a specified purpose and not for any other use.

Locus (Latin for “place”; plural: loci) refers to the specific place or location where an act, event, or legally significant occurrence takes place. The term appears frequently in legal Latin expressions identifying the geographical or jurisdictional site of an act.

Common Uses:

Loiter means to delay, linger, or remain in a place without a clear or lawful purpose. The term itself is neutral in ordinary usage but takes on legal significance when defined by statute or ordinance.

Loitering is a criminal offense committed when a person remains in the same place or area for no apparent reason.

M.O. stands for modus operandi, which is Latin for “mode of operating.”

In criminal law, modus operandi refers to a pattern of criminal behavior so distinctive that separate crimes or unlawful conduct are recognized as the work of the same person.

A magistrate is a judge who has limited authority to hear certain issues. 

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Mail fraud occurs when the U.S. Mail is used in the furtherance of a criminal act. In order for a defendant to be convicted under 18 U.S.C. 1341 for committing mail fraud, the following elements must be satisfied: 

Malfeasance is an act that is illegal and causes physical or monetary harm to someone else. Malfeasance is intentional conduct that is wrongful or unlawful, especially by officials or public employees. 

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In criminal law, malice indicates the intention, without justification or excuse, to commit an act that is unlawful. Evidence of malice is a prerequisite in some jurisdictions to prove first-degree murder.

Malicious prosecution is the filing of a lawsuit for an improper purpose, and without grounds or probable cause. The improper lawsuit may either be civil or criminal in nature. To remedy an act of malicious prosecution, an alleged victim files a malicious prosecution action.