Ignorantia Juris Non Excusat (Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse)
If you watch TV courtroom or police dramas, you've probably heard any number of somber-sounding legal terms being flung about (lawyers are famous for that). But you may have been confused by their meaning.
You probably guessed that none of those explanations is correct. The phrases are all Latin, and when they're translated into English, the Latin words have an informative meaning — sometimes one that's used only with application to the law.
You can read the latest news — translated into Latin — at
Twenty-first century law still extensively uses Latin phrases. A number of the most frequently used legal terms of Latin origin (and the vast majority of the foreign-language legal terms do come from Latin) are explained in the following table.
affidavit |
a signed statement made under oath and witnessed by an official such as a notary public |
amicus curiae |
a third party who is allowed to submit a legal brief |
corpus delicti |
the evidence that a crime has been committed (e.g., the body of a murder victim) |
cui bono |
who will benefit |
de jure |
by right, of right, according to law |
et uxor |
and (his) wife |
ex curia |
out of court |
ex lege |
as a matter of law |
ex parte |
done by or for one side or party only |
ex post facto |
coming after the fact; usually used with a law applied retroactively |
habeas corpus |
you may have the body; most commonly used in relation to prisoners' rights to know the charges against them |
in flagrante delicto |
while the crime is blazing; caught in the act of committing a crime (often euphemistically used to refer to a couple caught in a sexual act) |
in loco parentis |
in the place of a parent; without going through legal adoption, a person assumes parental rights and duties |
in prope persona |
in one's own person (without a lawyer) |
mala fide |
in bad faith |
mutatis mutandis |
after making the necessary changes |
ne bis in idem |
a person may not be punished twice for the same thing |
nolo contendere |
a plea in a criminal case in which the defendant answers the charges but doesn't admit or dispute guilt |
non compos mentis |
not of sane mind |
obiter dictum |
a judge's comment that has no bearing on the case outcome |
onus probandi |
burden of proof |
pendente lite |
while the case is pending |
prima facie |
at first sight |
pro bono |
for the good; used to describe work done with no cost |
pro forma |
as a matter of form; done in advance to stipulate a form or describe items |
sine die |
indefinitely |
stare decisis |
let the decision stand |
Try the online quiz for legal Latin terms at
sui generis |
of its own type |
ultra vires |
outside one's jurisdiction |
