Offensive collateral estoppel is a type of collateral estoppel (also termed issue preclusion)—the doctrine barring a party from relitigating an issue decided against that party in an earlier action, even if the second action is significantly...
THE LEGAL PROCESS
offer of proof
A lawyer’s response to opposing counsel’s objection to the admissibility of evidence at trial. When a lawyer introduces evidence either in the form of an exhibit or witness testimony and opposing counsel objects to the admissibility of the evidence,...
officer of the court
Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary
Any person who has an obligation to promote justice and uphold the law, including judges, clerks, court personnel, police officers, and attorneys (who must be truthful in court and obey court rules...
omission
Omission is refraining from acting or disclosing, see Brown v. Standard Casket Mfg. Co..
It can be used in various situations:
"Failure to disclose the origin of a recording” in criminal law is defined as following: “...on all fours
“On all fours” is a metaphor used by legal practitioners to describe a previous case with facts that are substantially similar to the case at issue. The metaphor is meant as a comparison to an animal moving on all four legs. A case “on all fours”...
on or about
A phrase that is used throughout civil and criminal legal practice to refer to a specific date or place by narrow approximation. It is often seen either in a civil or criminal complaint, or within legal documents that create obligations or protections...
on the merits
The phrase “on the merits” refers to a case whose decision rests upon the law as it applied to the particular evidence and facts presented in the case. This is in opposition to cases whose decisions rest upon procedural grounds. The distinction...
on the stand
To be “on the stand” refers to testifying in open court. When testifying at trial, a witness almost always sits to the left and slightly below the judge, behind a knee-high panel - in what is commonly referred to as the “witness stand.”...
open court
“Open court” refers to judicial proceedings to which the public has access. Public access includes the ability to attend courtroom proceedings, as well as access to court records and transcripts. Where a case or part of a case may reveal sensitive or...
open field doctrine
Hester v. United States first introduced the doctrine that the Fourth Amendment protection does not extend to open fields. Governmental intrusion and information collection upon open fields do not constitute searches or seizures under the Fourth...