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- I -
Immunity: Grant by the court, which assures someone
will not face prosecution in return for providing criminal
evidence.
Impaneling: Selecting a jury from the list of
potential jurors.
Impeach: Attacking the credibility of a witness.
Impeachment of a Witness: An attack on the
credibility (believability) of a witness, through evidence
introduced for that purpose.
Incarcerate: To confine in jail.
Inadmissible: That which, under the rules of
evidence, cannot be admitted or received as evidence.
In Camera: In a judge's chambers; in private.
In Camera Inspection: Judge's private inspection of
a document prior to his or her ruling on its admissibility or
use at trial.
In Camera Proceedings. Trial or proceeding in a
place not open to the public, usually in a judge's chambers.
Indemnify: To restore the victim of a loss, either
in whole or in part, by payment of money or repair or
replacement of the thing lost.
Independent Executor: A special kind of executor,
permitted by the laws of certain states, who performs the
duties of an executor without intervention by the court.
Indeterminate Sentence: A sentence of imprisonment
to a specified minimum and maximum period of time,
specifically authorized by statute, subject to termination by
a parole board or other authorized agency after the prisoner
has served the minimum term.
Indictment: A written accusation by a grand jury
charging a person with a crime.
Indigent: Needy or impoverished. A defendant who can
demonstrate his or her indigence to the court may be assigned
a court-appointed attorney at public expense.
Information: Accusatory document, filed by the
prosecutor, detailing the charges against the defendant. An
alternative to an indictment, it serves to bring a defendant
to trial.
Informed Consent: Person's agreement to allow
something to happen, such as a medical procedure, that is
based on full disclosure of the facts necessary to make an
intelligent decision.
In Forma Pauperis: In the manner of a pauper.
Permission given to a person to sue without payment of court
fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
Infraction: A violation of law not punishable by
imprisonment. Minor traffic offenses generally are considered
infractions.
Inheritance Tax: A state tax on property that an
heir or beneficiary under a will receives from a deceased
person's estate. The heir or beneficiary pays this tax.
Initial Appearance: In criminal law, the hearing at
which a judge determines whether there is sufficient evidence
against a person charged with a crime to hold him or her for
trial. The Constitution bans secret accusations, so initial
appearances are public unless the defendant asks otherwise;
the accused must be present, though he or she usually does not
offer evidence. Also called first appearance.
Injunction: Writ or order by a court prohibiting a
specific action from being carried out by a person or group. A
preliminary injunction is granted provisionally, until a full
hearing can be held to determine if it should be made
permanent.
In Propria Persona: In court's it refers to persons
who present their own case without lawyers. See Pro Se.
Instructions: Judge's explanation to the jury before
it begins deliberations of the questions it must answer and
the applicable law governing the case. Also called charge.
Intangible Assets: Nonphysical items such as stock
certificates, bonds, bank accounts, and pension benefits that
have value and must be taken into account in estate planning.
Intentional Inflication of Emotional Distress: -
Intentionally causing severe emotional distress by extreme or
outrageous conduct.
Interlocutory: Provisional; not final. An
interlocutory order or an interlocutory appeal concerns only a
part of the issues raised in a lawsuit.
Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one
party in a lawsuit for which the opposing party must provide
written answers.
Intervention: An action by which a third person who
may be affected by a lawsuit is permitted to become a party to
the suit. Differs from the process of becoming an amicus
curiae.
Inter Vivos Gift: A gift made during the giver's
life.
Inter Vivos Trust: Another name for a living trust.
Intestacy Laws: See descent and distribution
statutes.
Intestate: Dying without a will.
Intestate Succession: The process by which the
property of a person who has died without a will passes on to
others according to the state's descent and distribution
statutes. If someone dies without a will, and the court uses
the state’s interstate succession laws, an heir who receives
some of the deceased's property is an intestate heir.
Invitee: A person is an invitee on land if he enters
land by invitation; his entry is connected with business being
conducted on the land by the possessor of land; and the
possessor of land is benefited by the entry.
Irrevocable Trust: A trust that, once set up, the
grantor may not revoke.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A condition of abnormally
increased spontaneous movement (motility) of the small and
large intestine, generally stress can contribute to this
condition.
Ischemic Colitis: An inflammation caused by
interference with the blood flow to the large intestine. This
lack of blood flow leads to death of tissue.
Issue: (1) The disputed point in a disagreement
between parties in a lawsuit. (2) To send out officially, as
in to issue an order.
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