Law & Politics in the News — Set 2: Meanings flashcards
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The second 75 of the 150 Law & Politics words, from plaintiff and filibuster to habeas corpus and brinkmanship: pronunciation, a plain definition and three news-style example sentences, the most common use first.
Learn deck · part of Law & Politics in the News · written against: 150 words of courts, lawmaking, elections and world affairs; US usage; nonpartisan; not legal advice. Updated 2026-10-10.
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plaintiff (n.) · PLAYN-tuhfin a civil case, the person or organization that sues another party and so starts the lawsuitCourts & Trials
The plaintiffs say chemicals from the plant seeped into their wells.
A jury awarded the plaintiff two million dollars for her injuries.
To win, the plaintiff has to show the store ignored a spill it knew about.
Watch out: in a criminal case the government brings the charges and is usually called the prosecution, not the plaintiff. -
deposition (n.) · dep-uh-ZISH-uhna witness's answers to lawyers' questions, given under oath outside the courtroom and recorded so either side can rely on them later in the caseCourts & Trials
Lawyers spent six hours questioning the company's founder in a deposition.
The video of her deposition was played for the jury at trial.
A court reporter recorded every word of the former mayor's deposition.
Watch out: deposition also means removing a ruler from power, as in the deposition of a king. -
restraining order (n.) · rih-STRAY-ning OR-dura judge's order protecting someone by barring another from contacting or nearing them; also, a stopgap order, issued before a full hearing, freezing mattersCrime & Punishment
She got a restraining order after a former business partner kept threatening her.
The restraining order requires him to stay five hundred feet from her home.
A judge's temporary restraining order paused the layoffs until next week's hearing. -
misdemeanor (n.) · mis-dih-MEE-nura crime whose usual penalty is a fine or no more than twelve months behind bars, placing it among the less serious offensesCrime & Punishment
Facing a misdemeanor charge, the driver admitted guilt and paid a fine.
In most states, stealing a cheap item from a shop counts as a misdemeanor.
A misdemeanor conviction can still show up on a background check.
Watch out: high crimes and misdemeanors, the Constitution's grounds for impeachment, is not limited to minor crimes. -
recess (n., v.) · REE-sesa break during which a legislature or court pauses its work before resuming; to take such a breakLawmaking
Congress left for its August recess without passing the budget.
After two hours of testimony, the judge gave the jury a fifteen-minute recess.
The council recessed for an hour to study the amended plan.
Watch out: at school, recess is the break when children play outside. -
override (v., n.) · oh-vur-RIGHD (v.) · OH-vur-righd (n.)to cancel a decision using greater authority, as when a legislature passes a bill over a veto; such a voteLawmaking
State lawmakers fell two votes short of overriding the governor's veto.
Within hours of the veto, both chambers had voted to override it.
The override vote passed the House but failed in the Senate.
Watch out: override also means to switch off an automatic control by hand, as with an alarm. -
runoff (n.) · RUHN-awfa second election between the top finishers when no candidate wins enough votes the first timeElections & Campaigns
The top two vote-getters will face each other in a December runoff.
Georgia holds a runoff when no Senate candidate wins a majority.
Turnout in the runoff fell well below the November vote.
Watch out: runoff also means the water that streams receive when rain or melted snow runs across the land. -
checks and balances (n.) · CHEKS uhnd BAL-uhn-suhzthe powers each branch of government holds to limit the others, such as the veto and court review of lawsGovernment & Power
Checks and balances keep any one branch from growing too powerful.
The presidential veto is one of the Constitution's checks and balances.
Judicial review, letting courts strike down laws, is part of checks and balances. -
eminent domain (n.) · EM-uh-nuhnt doh-MAYNthe power that lets a government, if it pays the owner a fair price, take over private property that a public project needsRights & Citizenship
The city invoked eminent domain to acquire a vacant lot for a fire station.
Homeowners fought the city's eminent domain case in court for two years.
The Fifth Amendment requires "just compensation" for property taken by eminent domain. -
envoy (n.) · EN-voya diplomat chosen to carry out one specific task or negotiation for a government or an international body, unlike an ambassador posted abroad permanentlyWorld Affairs & Trade
To restart the stalled peace talks, the president named a special envoy.
Envoys from both countries met secretly in a neutral capital.
The UN envoy for climate visited island nations threatened by rising seas.
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Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Senses, parts of speech and pronunciations checked against Merriam-Webster.com, the American Heritage Dictionary and the Oxford Learner's, Longman and Cambridge learner's dictionaries; all definitions, notes and example sentences are original.
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