The “clearly erroneous” standard is a standard of review in civil appellate proceedings. In the United States v. United States Gypsum Co. the Supreme Court stated that the Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52(a) provides that “a finding is ‘...
criminal law
clearly erroneous test
The clearly erroneous test is a test used by appellate courts when reviewing a holding by a lower court. The test, established by Rule 52(a) of the Federal Rules Civil Procedure, states that fact findings by a judge in a nonjury trial stand...
clemency
Clemency is the power of the President of the United States or a state governor to pardon a criminal or to commute a sentence. The term itself means "leniency" or "mercy."
See, e.g.; Herrera v. Collins, 506 US 390 (1993)....
code
In the practice of law, a code is an organized compilation of existing laws. It is a collection of all the laws in force, including the enacted laws and case law, covering a complete legal system or a specific area. A code can make the...
codefendant
A codefendant is one of multiple defendants jointly sued in the same civil action or formally accused of committing the same crime. For instance, if A sues B and C, B and C are codefendants.
If a defendant sues a different...
codified
To be codified is to be defined or otherwise included in a legislative statute. It is sometimes used in a wider sense to refer to principles that can be found not just in statutes, but also in constitutions, administrative rules, and other...
collateral estoppel
Collateral estoppel is an important doctrine in the fields of criminal law and civil procedure.
In criminal law, collateral estoppel protects criminal defendants from being tried for the same issue in more than one criminal...
collateral order doctrine
The collateral order doctrine is an exception to the general rule against allowing interlocutory appeals (appeals on a temporary order issued during the course of litigation). This doctrine traces its origins to the case Cohen v. Beneficial...
color
Color, in a legal sense, refers to the appearance of a thing, as distinguished from the thing itself.
For example, the color of law refers to the appearance of legal authority or an apparently legal right, and is often used to...color of law
Color of law refers to the appearance of legal authority or an apparently legal right that may not exist. The term is often used to describe the abuse of power under the guise of state authority, and is therefore illegal. The term was used in...