See: certiorari
A type of writ, meant for rare use, by which an appellate court decides to review a case at its discretion. The word certiorari comes from Law Latin and means "to be more fully informed." A writ of certiorari orders a lower...
wex definitions
writ of coram nobis
The writ of coram nobis is a Latin term applied in common law to call to the court’s attention facts that would have changed the judgment but were outside the record and unknown to the court at the time of judgment. The writ of coram nobis is...
writ of error
A writ emanating from an appellate court, demanding that a lower court convey the record of a case to the appellate court so that the record may be reviewed for alleged errors of law committed during a juridical proceeding. See, e.g. Worcester v....
writ of execution
A court order that directs law enforcement personnel to take action in an attempt to satisfy a judgment won by the plaintiff. Specifically, a writ of execution usually addresses a sheriff. The sheriff, in turn, attempts to levy property owned by the...
writ of garnishment
An order of the court. The court orders the seizure or attachment of a defendant's property (or that of a judgment debtor) that is in the possession or control of a third party. The person or corporation in possession of the property of the...
writ of mandate (mandamus)
See: mandamus
[Last updated in August of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]
writ of prohibition
A writ of prohibition is a judicial order that may be used, at a higher court's discretion, to prevent a lower court from interfering with the higher court's determination of a case pending an appeal. Writs of prohibition are sometimes issued...
write-off
A write-off means removing an asset from the books, especially as a loss or expense, while to “deduct” an item means to subtract it from gross income or adjusted gross income when calculating taxable income.
In personal-...
wrongful constructive discharge
A modified claim of wrongful termination; instead of firing the employee, the employer wrongfully made working conditions so intolerable that the employee was forced to resign.
Working conditions might become intolerable through insults,...
wrongful death
Wrongful death is a civil cause of action brought by family members and dependents against individuals who knowingly or negligently cause the death of another person. A wrongful death action may be brought against a person also facing...