The Aguilar-Spinelli test is a legal standard used in the United States to evaluate the validity of a search warrant based on information provided by an informant. It stems from two U.S. Supreme Court cases: Aguilar v. Texas and Spinelli v....
criminal procedure
a fortiori
A fortiori refers to an argument based on an even stronger previous argument. In Latin, the term literally means ‘from [the] stronger.’
The argument implies that if the first is true, the second is even more likely to be...
a priori
A priori refers to an assertion based on prior knowledge or intuition. In Latin, the term literally means “from what is earlier.” An a priori determination is formed before investigation. For example, assuming that the road will be wet when...
a.k.a.
A.K.A. is the abbreviation of “also known as.” It is often used to specify a party’s aliases or nicknames in a case.
[Last reviewed in November of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]
ab initio
Ab initio is a Latin term that means "from the beginning” or “from inception.” Ab initio is used to indicate that some fact existed from the start of a relevant time period. It is often used as part of the phrase “void ab initio,” meaning...
abate
To abate means to eliminate or to nullify.
This verb usually arises in the context of abatement.
[Last reviewed in October of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]
abatement
Abatement is the act of reducing or nullifying something. Multiple subjects throughout law are subject to abatement and the term appears in many locations.
In property law, abatement refers to a reduction in property taxes a...
abatement ab initio
Abatement ab initio is a rule in criminal law which negates a conviction if the defendant died before they could exhaust all appeals. In People v. Mount, the California Court of Appeals described the rule as dismissing or remanding a criminal...
abscond
Abscond means leaving a jurisdiction secretly or suddenly, e.g. to avoid service of process, arrest, or prosecution; or leaving with another person's money or property. Absconding is generally a criminal offense which may lead to imprisonment...
absolute disparity
Absolute disparity is a calculation used to analyze a claim that a jury pool did not represent a fair cross-section of the community. For instance, a jury pool that is composed of only white jurors in a community that is predominantly Black....