wex definitions

vigilante

A vigilante is a person who claims to enforce law and order by their own initiative but lacks legal authority to do so. Vigilantes operate by using actual or threatened force and are distinguished from people who simply watch out for criminal...

vigilante justice

Vigilante justice refers to actions taken by individuals or groups who try to enforce the law without legal authority. Those who perform vigilante justice, taking the law into their own hands, are known as vigilantes and are often driven by a...

vigilantism

Vigilantism is the act of unauthorized law enforcement activities carried out by individuals without legal authority. It is often motivated by a desire to seek retribution for perceived injustices. Vigilantes typically use force or violence...

Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty (1926)

Village of Euclid v. Ambler Realty Co., 272 U.S. 365 (1926), is a U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court held that a zoning ordinance can be a valid exercise of a state's police powers. The Supreme Court raised the bar for declaring a...

visa

A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a government permitting a foreign national to proceed into the government’s country. In the United States, foreign visitors are generally required to have a visa before entering a U.S. port of...

visa waiver program

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables “citizens or nationals of participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.” For citizens or nationals of VWP countries...

visitation

The right of a noncustodial parent who is a party to a divorce or separation to visit with their children. In such cases, some courts look to the best interests of the child. Parents have due process rights to determine visitation by non-...

visitation order

A visitation order is a court order allowing visitation privileges.

See: Troxel v. Granville (2000)

[Last updated in July of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]

visitation rights

Visitation rights are limitations or restrictions on child custody. When a couple divorces, they may either have shared custody, joint custody, split custody, or one parent can have sole custody. When sole custody is granted by the court to...

vitiate

Vitiate is the act of impairing or voiding the effect of something else. Thus, a statute that vitiates a contract has the effect of voiding at least one of the contract's provisions.

[Last updated in July of 2024 by the Wex...

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