color

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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 describe the abuse of power under the guise of state authority, when the right may not actually exist and is therefore illegal.

See also: Color of office, Color of title, Colorable claim, Colorable transaction.

[Last updated in August of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]