general pardonSee AMNESTY. |
general pardonSee AMNESTY. |
general parliamentary lawThe basic principles and practices of parliamentary law, as commonly under stood among a meeting s members based on their experience in other deliberative assemblies, that apply in the absence of adopted rules of order. A parliamentary manual is evidence of the general parliamentary law. Also termed common parliamentary law. A deliberative assembly that has not adopted any rules is commonly understood to hold itself bound by the rules and customs of the general parliamentary law or common parliamentary law to the extent that there is agreement in the meeting body as to what these rules and practices are."Henry M. Robert, Robert s Rules of Order Newly Revised § 1, at 3 (10th ed. 2000). |
general parliamentary lawSee PARLIAMENTARY LAW. |
general partnerA partner who ordinarily takes part in the daily operations of the business, shares in the profits and losses, and is personally responsible for the partnership debts and other liabilities. Also termed full partner. |
general partnerSee PARTNER. |
general partnershipA partnership in which all partners participate fully in running the business and share equally in profits and losses (though the partners monetary contributions may vary). |
general partnershipSee PARTNERSHIP. |
general personal jurisdictionJurisdiction arising when a persons continuous and systematic contacts with a forum state enable the forum states courts to adjudicate a claim against the person, even when the claim is not related to the persons contacts with the forum state. Cf. personal jurisdiction; specific personal jurisdiction. |
general personal jurisdictionSee JURISDICTION. |
general pleaSee general denial under DENIAL. |
general pleaSee general denial under DENIAL. |
general plea in barA criminal defendant s plea of not guilty by which the defendant denies every fact and circumstance necessary to be convicted of the crime charged. |
general plea in barSee PLEA IN BAR. |
general powerSee POWER OF APPOINTMENT. |
general powerSee POWER OF APPOINTMENT. |
general power of appointmentA power of appointment by which the donee can appoint that is, dispose of the donor s property in favor of anyone at all, including oneself or one s own estate; esp., a power that authorizes the alienation of a fee to any alienee. Often shortened to general power. |
general power of appointmentSee POWER OF APPOIKTMENT. |
general power of attorneyA power of attorney that authorizes an agent to transact business for the principaL Cf. special power of attorney. |
general power of attorneySee POWER OF ATTORNEY. |
general prayerA prayer for additional unspecified relief, traditionally using language such as, "Plaintiff additionally prays for such other and further relief to which she may show herself to be justly entitled." The general prayer typically follows a special prayer. |
general prayerSee PRAYER FOR RELIEF. |
general principle of law1. A principle widely recognized by peoples whose legal order has attained a certain level of sophistication. 2. A principle that gives rise to international legal obligations. "[T]he adjective 'general' does not refer to several or many orders [i.e., legal systems] as do the general principles of national law, but indicates principles which are applied generally in all cases of the same kind which arise in international law (e.g. the principle of nonintervention)." Hermann Mosler, "General Principles of Law," in 2 Encyclo· pedia of Public International Law 512, 512 (1995). 3. A principle recognized in all kinds oflegal relations, regardless of the legal system to which it belongs (state law, federal law, international law, etc.). Also termed general legal principle. |
general privilegeA privilege that concerns the deliberative assembly as a body, rather than any particular member or members. Also termed privilege of the assembly; privilege of the house. Cf. personal privilege. |
general privilegeSee PRIVILEGE (5). |
general propertyProperty belonging to a general owner. See general owner under OWNER. |
general propertySee PROPERTY. |
general publicationDistribution of an author s work to the public, as opposed to a selected group, whether or not restrictions are placed on the use of the work. Before the Copyright Act of 1976, a general publication was generally held to divest common-law rights in a work. Rather, the author was deemed to have dedicated the work to the public. Cf. limited publication. |
general publicationSee PUBLICATION. |
general QrderAn order of the day other than a special order. See order of the day (1). Cf. special order. |
general receiverSee principal receiver under RECEIVER. |
general receiverSee principal receiver. |
general referenceA court s reference of a case to a referee, usu. with all parties consent, to decide all issues of fact and law. The referees decision stands as the judgment of the court. |
general referenceSee REFERENCE. |
general replicationEquity pleading. A replication consisting of a general denial of the defendant plea or answer and an assertion of the truth and sufficiency of the bill. |
general replicationSee REPLICATION. |
general reprisalSee REPRISAL. |
general reprisalA reprisal by which a nation directs all its military officers and citizens to redress an injury caused by another nation. An example is a command to seize the property of the offending nation wherever it is found. |
general retainerA retainer for a specific length of time rather than for a specific project. |
general retainerSee RETAINER. |
general retentionSee RETENTION. |
general retentionA possessors right to keep all property owned by a debtor as security for the debt. |
general revenueThe income stream from which a state or municipality pays its obligations unless a law calls for payment from a special fund. See general fund under FUND (1). |
general revenueSee REVENUE. |
general revenue fundThe fund out of which a municipality pays its ordinary and incidental expenses. |
general revenue fund-See FUND (1). |
general ruleA rule applicable to a class of cases or circumstances. |
general ruleSee RULE. |
general sentenceAn undivided, aggregate sentence in a multicount case; a sentence that does not specify the punishment imposed for each count. General sentences are prohibited. Also termed consolidated sentence. |
general sentenceSee SENTENCE. |
general services administrationThe independent federal agency that constructs and operates buildings; manages government property and records; procures and distributes supplies; and provides management services in communications, traffic, and automatic data processing. Its Office of Enterprise Development assists small businesses in dealing with the agency through GSA's 12 regional offices. The agency was created by the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949. 40 USCA § 751. - Abbr. GSA. |
general shipA ship that is set for a particular voyage to carry the goods of any persons willing to ship goods on it for that voyage. |
general shipSee SHIP. |
general special imparlanceSee IMPARLANCE. |
general special imparlance-The allowance of time with a saving of all exceptions, so that a defendant might later plead not only in abatement but also to the jurisdiction. |
general statute1. See STATUTE. 2. See PUBLIC LAW (2). |
general statuteA law pertaining to an entire community or all persons generally. - Also termed public statute. See PUBLIC LAW (2). |
general strikeA strike organized to affect an entire industry. |
general strikeSee STRIKE. |
general synodA synod composed of bishops from all nations. Also termed universal synod. |
general synodSee SYNOD. |
general tailSee tail general (1) under TAIL. |
general taxSee TAX. |
general tax1. A tax that returns no special benefit to the taxpayer other than the support of governmental programs that benefit all. 2. A property tax or an ad valorem tax that is imposed for no special purpose except to produce public revenue. Cf. special assessment under ASSESSMENT. |
general tenancyA tenancy that is not of fixed duration under the parties agreement. |
general tenancySee TENANCY. |
general termSee TERM (5). |
general titleSee TITLE (3). |
general traverseSee TRAVERSE. |
general truceSee TRUCE. |
general trustSee passive trust under TRUST. |
general usageSee USAGE. |
general verdictSee VERDICT. |
general verdict subject to a special caseSee VERDICT. |
general verdict with interrogatoriesSee VERDICT. |
general warrantSee WARRANT (1). |
general warrantySee WARRANTY (1). |
general warranty deedSee warranty deed. |
general warranty deed-See warranty deed under DEED. |
general welfareSee WELFARE (l). |
general welfare clauseU.S. Const. art. I, § 8, d. 1, which empowers Congress to levy taxes and pay debts in order to provide for the country's general welfare. The Supreme Court has broadly interpreted this clause to allow Congress to create, for example, the social-security system. - Also termed Welfare Clause. |
general wordsSemantically broad expression; esp., language used in deeds to convey not only the specific property described in the conveyance but also all easements, privileges, and appurtenances that may belong to the property. |
general.liability policySee comprehensive general-liability policy under INSURANCE POLICY. |
general-average bondA bond given to the captain of a ship by consignees of cargo subject to general average, guaranteeing payment of their contribution once it is ascertained .'When the contribution amounts are disputed, the carrier requires this bond before agreeing to unload the ship. It may also be reqUired when the amounts are undisputed, as security for payment. Also termed average bond. See general average under AVERAGE (3). |
general-average bond-See BOND (2). |
general-average contributionSee general average under AVERAGE. |
general-average statementMaritime law. A statement containing an exact calculation of the general average and each party's contributory share. See AVERAGE (3). |
general-disability insuranceSee INSURANCE. |
general-disability insuranceDisability insurance that provides benefits to a person who cannot perform any job that the person is qualified for. Also termed total-disability insurance. Cf. occupational-disability insurance. |
generalfederal common lawIn the period before Erie v. Tompkins (304 U.S. 64, 58 S.Ct. 817 (1938", the judge-made law developed by federal courts in deciding disputes in diversity-of-citizenship cases. Since Erie, a federal court has been bound to apply the substantive law of the state in which it sits. So even though there is a "federal common law," there is no longer a general federal common law applicable to all disputes heard in federal court. 2. The body of law based on the English legal system, as distinct from a civil-law system; the general Anglo American system of legal concepts, together with the techniques of applying them, that form the basis of the law in jurisdictions where the system applies <all states except Louisiana have the common law as their legal system>. Cf. CIVIL LAW (1). |
generalia specialibus non derogant(jen-a-ray-Iee-a spesh-ee-ay-la-bas non der-a-gant). [Latin "general things do not derogate from specific things"], The doctrine holding that general words in a later statute do not repeal an earlier statutory provision dealing with a special subject. This principle illustrates the cautious approach that some courts have adopted in interpreting broad provisions, but there are many exceptions. |
general-intent crimeA crime that involves performing a particular act without intending a further act or a further result. |
general-intent crime-See CRIME. |
general-jurisdiction courtSee court of general jurisdiction. |
general-jurisdiction court-See court ofgeneral jurisdiction under COURT. |
general-justification defenseSee lesser-evils defense. |
general-justification defense-See lesser-evils defense under DEFENSE (1). |
generally accepted accounting principlesThe conventions, rules, and procedures that define approved accounting practices at a particular time. These principles are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board for use by accountants in preparing financial statements. The principles include not only broad guidelines of general application but also detailed practices and procedures. - Abbr. GAAP. Also termed generally accepted accountancy principles. |
generally accepted auditing standardsThe guidelines issued by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants establishing an auditor's professional qualities and the criteria for the auditor's examination and required reports. - Abbr. GAAS. |
general-mortgage bondA corporate bond secured by a blanket mortgage on property . The general-mortgage bond, however, is often less valuable because it is subordinate to prior mortgages. |