A constitution is the most fundamental law of a sovereign body. The term is capitalized only when referring to a specific constitution (e.g., U.S. Constitution, Texas Constitution, etc.).
In many cases, "constitution" refers...
constitutional law
constitutional amendment
An amendment is a formal revision or addition to the US Constitution. As per Article V of the Constitution, there are several methods to propose an amendment. Once an amendment is proposed, it requires the approval of ¾ of the states to be...
constitutional avoidance
Constitutional avoidance is the doctrine that, if possible, the Supreme Court should avoid ruling on constitutional issues, and resolve the cases before them on other (usually statutory) grounds.
In practice, this often...
constitutional clauses
The U.S. Constitution (including its Amendments) is made up of hundreds of clauses. Some of the clauses are more important than others; the scope, meaning, and effect of which are the subject of widespread debate. For convenience, these...
constitutional rights
Constitutional rights are the protections and liberties guaranteed to the people by the U.S. Constitution. Many of these rights are outlined in the Bill of Rights; such as the right to free speech in the First Amendment, and the right to a...
corpus
Corpus is a Latin word for "body" which can have several meanings, including referring to the body of the prisoner (as in habeas corpus) in the context of criminal law.
In the context of trust law corpus means the property...
covert propaganda
Covert propaganda refers to media materials prepared by a government agency and then disseminated by a non-government outlet with the source undisclosed. [1] Covert propaganda materials are “misleading as to their origin.” [2] The source must...
crime against nature
Crime against nature is an umbrella term encompassing sexual offenses that are deemed “unnatural” or "contrary to the order of nature." Some jurisdictions have codified laws against the individual offenses. For example, California originally...
critical stages of proceedings
A critical stage of proceeding is a term used in criminal procedure to denote the stage at which a person accused of a crime will receive the right to counsel and, at which, if that right is denied, later proceedings will be prejudiced. This...
cruel and unusual punishment
Overview:
Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase mentioned in the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, the Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. However, the Constitution does not give more guidance...