Category: O

A written direction of a court or judge to do or refrain from doing certain acts.

An opportunity for lawyers to summarize their position before the court in an appeal and also to answer the judges’ questions.

A judge’s written explanation of a decision of the court. In an appeal, multiple opinions may be written. The court’s ruling comes from a majority of judges and forms the majority opinion. A dissenting opinion disagrees with the majority because of the reasoning and/or the principles of law on which the decision is based. A...

A protest by an attorney, challenging a statement or question made at trial. Common objections include an attorney “leading the witness” or a witness making a statement that is hearsay. Once an objection is made, the judge must decide whether to allow the question or statement.

A promise to tell the truth.