Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: cold-water ordeal
Modica differentia: A fancy Latin term used in Scottish law to mean a small difference, especially in price.
Modification: A change or alteration made to something, like a contract or a habit. It can also mean a limitation or qualification of something. In parliamentary law, it refers to a change in a motion that the person who made the motion initiates or accepts before the chair states the motion.
Request: A motion used in parliamentary law to invoke a right, seek permission for a privilege, or ask a question. A request for permission to modify a motion is when the person who made the motion seeks to amend it after the chair has stated it. A request for permission to withdraw a motion is when the person who made the motion wants to end consideration of it without reaching a decision on its merits. A request to be excused from a duty is a motion seeking relief from a duty that an officer or other member has been charged with.
Request to read papers: A motion asking permission to read aloud from printed matter or asking the chair or secretary to read aloud a document for the mover's or the assembly's information.