List of Amendments to the United States Constitution Overview and concise summaries of the 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, major civil rights changes, and the amendment process.
List of Latin phrases: meanings, usage, and examples List of Latin phrases Overview and guide to common Latin phrases, their translations, orthography, history, and modern uses in law, science, literature, and everyday speech.
List of Latin Phrases (A) Alphabetical list and guide to common Latin phrases beginning with A, with translations, usage notes, history, and distinctions for English readers.
List of Legal Entity Types by Country Overview of the main legal entity types used around the world, how they differ, common forms by jurisdiction, historical background, and factors to consider when choosing an entity…
Police forces in the United Kingdom: territorial, specialist and national services List of police forces in the United Kingdom Overview of the main police forces and constabularies in the United Kingdom, their categories, examples, governance, powers, volunteers and how they cooperate on cross‑border and s…
Loan: definition, types, components, history and economic role Loan A loan is money lent under agreed terms: repayment schedule, interest, and conditions. This article explains common types, key components, history, uses, risks, and how loans diffe…
Local Government Act 1985 (United Kingdom) Local Government Act 1985 UK law that abolished the Greater London Council and metropolitan county councils in 1986, reallocated functions, and created joint arrangements — a turning point in late-20th-cent…
Looting: forms, causes, history and legal responses Looting Looting is the taking of property during conflict, civil unrest, disasters or mass disorder. This article explains common forms, historical context, legal distinctions, and typical…
Lord of Mann Traditional title for the sovereign with jurisdiction over the Isle of Man; a historic feudal lordship that became a Crown Dependency with distinct institutions and legal arrangeme…
Lottery: definition, mechanics, history, and social impact Lottery An overview of lotteries: how they work, major types, historical development, regulation, uses for public revenue and charity, and social and economic considerations.
Lübeck law (Lübisches Recht) Lübeck law A medieval municipal legal code from Lübeck that regulated urban self-government, merchant privileges, and city administration; widely adopted by ports and towns in the Hanseatic n…
Lucas Bersamin Lucas P. Bersamin (born 1949) is a Filipino jurist who served as the 25th Chief Justice of the Philippines. He was an associate justice from 2009 and led the Supreme Court in 2018–…
Lynching: extrajudicial killing, history, methods, and social impact Lynching Lynching is the extrajudicial killing of people by a group without legal process. This article explains its characteristics, history, notable cases, legal responses, and how societ…
Magna Carta — the 1215 Great Charter of English liberties Magna Carta Magna Carta (Latin: Great Charter), sealed in 1215, limited royal power, established legal protections and influenced constitutional law and rights traditions worldwide.
Majority opinion (law) Majority opinion A majority opinion is the judicial ruling supported by more than half of a court’s members; it explains the court’s reasoning and usually sets binding precedent for lower courts.
Manslaughter (criminal law) Manslaughter Manslaughter is an unlawful killing without premeditated malice. This article explains its main types, legal elements, historical development, common examples, and how it differs f…
Mapp v. Ohio (1961) — Exclusionary Rule Applied to the States Mapp v. Ohio Landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that made the Fourth Amendment exclusionary rule binding on state courts, barring illegally obtained evidence from use at trial and reshaping crimi…
Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 (England and Wales) Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 UK Act of Parliament that legalised same-sex marriage in England and Wales, established procedural rules, and protected religious bodies and celebrants from compulsion while allowi…
Martial law: definition, features, history and legal issues Martial law Martial law is the temporary imposition of military authority over civilian institutions during extreme emergencies. This article explains its features, legal basis, typical measur…
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act A 2009 U.S. federal law expanding hate-crime protections to include crimes motivated by gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability and broadening federal jurisdicti…
Mayflower Compact A 1620 agreement by passengers of the Mayflower establishing a temporary, self‑governing political body for the Plymouth settlement; often cited as an early American example of maj…
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): federal authority and state taxation McCulloch v. Maryland Landmark 1819 Supreme Court case affirming Congress's implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause and limiting state power to tax federal institutions.
Megan's Law — U.S. community notification and sex offender registration Megan's Law Laws requiring public access to information about registered sex offenders in the United States. Originated after the murder of Megan Kanka; details and implementation vary by stat…
Memorandum opinion A memorandum opinion is a brief written decision by a court that explains the disposition without extended legal analysis and often carries limited precedential value.
Men's rights movement Social and political movement focused on legal, social, and health issues affecting men; includes diverse groups, aims, methods, and contested relations with feminism and public po…
Migrant Workers Convention (1990) — UN Protection Treaty Migrant Workers Convention UN treaty protecting the rights of migrant workers and their families, adopted 1990 and in force since 2003; covers civil, economic and social rights, ratification patterns, scope…
Minor (law): definition, legal effects, and common age limits Minor (law) A minor is a person who has not reached the legal age of majority. This article explains varying age thresholds, legal capacity, juvenile rules, common exemptions, and notable dist…
Minority rights: principles, protections, and international frameworks Minority rights Overview of minority rights, who they protect, major legal instruments and institutions, challenges in implementation, and distinctions among different types of minority protection…
Miranda v. Arizona and the Miranda Warning: history, rules, and significance Miranda v. Arizona Overview of Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the required Miranda warning, its legal effects, limits, and practical importance in U.S. criminal procedure.
Miranda warning A Miranda warning informs people in U.S. custodial interrogation of core constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent and to an attorney, and explains how those righ…
Mitigating circumstances in criminal proceedings Mitigating circumstances Factors that can reduce the severity of punishment or influence sentencing decisions; how they are identified, used in court, and distinguished from aggravating factors.
Mitigating factor (criminal law) Mitigating factor A mitigating factor is information or evidence that may reduce a defendant's sentence or the severity of punishment by explaining circumstances that lessen culpability.
Mitigating factor (United States law) Mitigating factor (United States) Explanation of mitigating factors in U.S. criminal sentencing: definition, common examples, procedural role, constitutional background, and limits within capital and non‑capital ca…
Money laundering: definition, methods, stages and international response Money laundering Clear, concise guide to money laundering: what it is, common techniques, the three stages, legal controls and international cooperation such as the FATF and member jurisdictions.
Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States Montevideo Convention 1933 multilateral treaty that set out widely cited criteria for statehood (permanent population, defined territory, government, capacity to enter relations) and articulated the dec…
Mozilla Public License (MPL) Mozilla Public License A brief but comprehensive overview of the Mozilla Public License: its purpose, key terms, history, typical uses, compatibility with other licenses, and practical implications for d…
Murder under United States law Murder (United States law) Overview of how murder is defined, classified, and prosecuted in U.S. law, including state, federal, and military jurisdiction, common legal elements, and distinctions from related…
Murder of Laquan McDonald The 2014 police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in Chicago, its delayed video release, subsequent legal cases, protests, and effects on city policing and politics.
Murder of Linda Andersen (the Bathtub Girls case) Murder of Linda Andersen The 2003 killing of Linda Andersen by her two teenage daughters in Mississauga, Ontario — motives, investigation, youth sentencing and media portrayals.
Naming Rights (Corporate Sponsorship of Venues) Naming rights Commercial agreements in which an organization pays to attach its name to a building or venue. Covers how these contracts work, history, examples, benefits, and common criticisms.
Napoleonic Code (Code Napoléon) Napoleonic Code The Napoleonic Code is the French civil code promulgated in 1804 that unified private law, asserted legal equality and property rights, and shaped civil-law systems across much of…
Nationality: legal relationship with a state and its meanings Nationality Nationality denotes a person's legal bond to a state and its practical, historical, and cultural meanings; distinct from but related to citizenship, dual nationality, statelessness…
Natural law: principles, history, and influence Natural law Natural law is the idea that moral and legal norms are grounded in nature or reason rather than solely by human enactment; it shaped philosophy, theology, and modern human-rights t…
Natural rights and legal rights: origins, concepts, and distinctions Natural rights and legal rights An overview of natural rights versus legal rights: definitions, history from ancient thought to Locke and modern declarations, how they operate in law and politics, and key debates…
Negligence (law): principles, elements, and examples Negligence Negligence is a civil legal claim in tort law based on failure to take reasonable care. This article explains its elements, history, common examples, defenses, and how it differs f…
Neutrality in international relations Neutrality (international relations) Neutrality is a state policy of not taking sides in external armed conflicts; it carries recognized rights and duties under international law and appears in temporary, permanent an…
New South Wales Legislative Council The upper house of the Parliament of New South Wales, Australia. A 42‑member chamber elected by proportional representation, serving eight‑year terms with half the seats contested…
New York City Police Department (NYPD) New York City Police Department A concise overview of the New York City Police Department: its role, structure, history, duties, and notable practices including oversight and identification systems.
