Pendent party jurisdiction is a form of supplemental jurisdiction codified by 28 U.S.C. § 1367. Pendent party jurisdiction was a doctrine asserting that, if federal jurisdiction exists for a claim, the federal district court has the power to...
courts and procedure
pendente lite
Pendente lite is a Latin term that means “pending the suit” or “pending [the] litigation underway.”
In the context of family law, for example, parties can file motions for pendente lite custody and child support. In Johnson...
penitentiary
The term penitentiary is derived from the Latin term paenitentia, meaning repentance. A penitentiary refers to a prison or place of confinement used to hold and correct criminals who have been convicted of felonies. In the Roman Catholic...
Pennoyer rule
The Pennoyer rule is a legal principle that prevents courts from issuing personal judgments against defendants over whom they have no personal jurisdiction. This rule comes from the U.S. Supreme Court case Pennoyer v. Neff, 95 U.S. 714 (1878...
people
People often appears as the title given in a case name to stand for the government party, with the idea that the government is representing the public in the case. For example, the title in the case People v. Thomas is representing the people...
per curiam
Per Curiam is a judicial opinion by a court with multiple judges without citing any single judge as the author.
OverviewA per curiam decision is a court opinion issued in the name of the Court rather than specific judges...
perjury
Perjury, also known as false oath, forswearing, and falsehood, refers to knowingly making a false statement under oath or knowingly signing a legal document that is false or includes false statements. While the exact definition of perjury...
permission to approach the witness
Permission to approach the witness is a request made by an attorney during a court proceeding to ask the presiding judge for permission before approaching the witness on the stand. The judge may grant or deny the request based on the specific...
permissive counterclaim
A permissive counterclaim is a type of legal claim that a defendant in a lawsuit may choose to bring against the plaintiff. This rule is outlined in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 13(b). It applies when the defendant’s claim does not...
personal jurisdiction
Personal jurisdiction refers to a court’s authority to adjudicate the rights and liability of the defendant. Before a court can exercise power over a party, the U.S. Constitution requires that the party has certain minimum contacts with the...