Legal Definitions - mill

In a legal context, a "mill" can refer to a machine that grinds substances, a concept often used metaphorically to describe a processing system, particularly the judicial process. It also denotes the building or site where such grinding occurs. Separately, a "mill" is a unit of currency equal to one-tenth of a cent.

A "mill" is a term with several distinct meanings, particularly in legal and financial contexts:

• An industrial facility or machine: This refers to a building or apparatus designed to process raw materials, often by grinding, crushing, or shaping them. In a legal context, this definition frequently appears in matters related to property law, land use, environmental regulations, or industrial operations.
  • Example: A dispute arose when a historic textile mill, which had been abandoned for decades, was purchased by a developer who planned to convert it into condominiums, leading to legal challenges over its historical preservation status and environmental cleanup responsibilities.

    Explanation: Here, "mill" refers to a physical industrial property whose past and future use are subject to various legal frameworks, including historical preservation laws and environmental regulations.

• A metaphor for the judicial process: In legal discussions, "the mill" can metaphorically describe the legal system's routine processing of a large volume of cases, especially those that are similar in nature or relatively straightforward. It suggests a systematic, often high-volume, handling of legal matters.
  • Example: Defense attorneys often refer to the high volume of misdemeanor drug possession cases as "grist for the judicial mill," highlighting how these cases are processed through the courts in a largely standardized and often predictable manner.

    Explanation: This example uses "mill" to illustrate the efficient, and sometimes mechanical, way the court system handles a multitude of similar legal issues, much like a machine processes raw materials.

• A unit of currency: This is a monetary unit equivalent to one-tenth of a U.S. cent ($0.001). This unit is primarily used in calculating property taxes or other local government levies.
  • Example: The local school board proposed increasing the property tax rate by three mills to fund new educational programs and facility upgrades.

    Explanation: In this context, "mill" specifies a precise increment for taxation, where each mill represents one dollar of tax for every thousand dollars of assessed property value.