Category: US Courts Glossary

The punishment ordered by a court for a defendant convicted of a crime. Source: US Courts Glossary

A set of rules and principles established by the United States Sentencing Commission that trial judges use to determine the sentence for […]

To separate. Sometimes juries are sequestered from outside influences during their deliberations. Source: US Courts Glossary

The delivery of writs or summonses to the appropriate party. Source: US Courts Glossary

Parties to a lawsuit resolve their dispute without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in […]

A business not authorized to practice law that prepares bankruptcy petitions. Source: US Courts Glossary

The document that initiates the filing of a bankruptcy proceeding, setting forth basic information regarding the debtor, including name, address, chapter under […]

A federal misdemeanor punishable by six months or less in prison. Source: US Courts Glossary

A person or business that files a formal complaint with the court. Source: US Courts Glossary

A debtor’s detailed description of how the debtor proposes to pay creditors’ claims over a fixed period of time. Source: US Courts […]

In a criminal case, the defendant’s statement pleading “guilty” or “not guilty” in answer to the charges. See also nolo contendere. Source: […]

Written statements filed with the court that describe a party’s legal or factual assertions about the case. Source: US Courts Glossary

A transfer of the debtor’s property made after the commencement of the case. Source: US Courts Glossary

The arrangement (or rearrangement) of a debtor’s property to allow the debtor to take maximum advantage of exemptions. (Prebankruptcy planning typically includes […]

A court decision in an earlier case with facts and legal issues similar to a dispute currently before a court. Judges will […]

A debt payment made to a creditor in the 90-day period before a debtor files bankruptcy (or within one year if the […]

A report prepared by a court’s probation officer, after a person has been convicted of an offense, summarizing for the court the […]

A meeting of the judge and lawyers to plan the trial, to discuss which matters should be presented to the jury, to […]

A function of the federal courts that takes place at the very start of the criminal justice process – after a person […]

An unsecured claim that is entitled to be paid ahead of other unsecured claims that are not entitled to priority status. Priority […]

The Bankruptcy Code’s statutory ranking of unsecured claims that determines the order in which unsecured claims will be paid if there is […]

A slang expression sometimes used to refer to a pro se litigant. It is a corruption of the Latin phrase “in propria […]

Representing oneself. Serving as one’s own lawyer. Source: US Courts Glossary

Temporary. Source: US Courts Glossary

Officers of the probation office of a court. Probation officer duties include conducting presentence investigations, preparing presentence reports on convicted defendants, and […]