Law

Consummation of Marriage Consummation of marriage is the first sexual intercourse between spouses after marriage. It has cultural, religious and legal implications, and definitions and consequences vary be…

Contraband Contraband: goods whose possession, sale, or transport is forbidden by law. Overview of meanings, common categories, legal contexts, enforcement, historical origins, and distinctio…

Contract (Law): Definition, Elements, Formation, and Enforcement Contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between parties. This article explains its key elements, how contracts are formed and enforced, common types, remedies for breach, and…

Contract killing (paid homicide) Contract killing Contract killing is the deliberate commission of murder in return for payment. It is illegal in virtually all jurisdictions and associated with organized crime, complex investigati…

Controlled Substances Act (United States) Controlled Substances Act Overview of the U.S. Controlled Substances Act: its purpose, schedule system, administration, history, uses, and notable legal and policy issues.

Convention on Domestic Workers (ILO C189) Convention on Domestic Workers An ILO treaty adopted in 2011 that establishes labour rights and protections for domestic workers, including standards on contracts, working hours, social security and protection f…

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women UN treaty adopted in 1979 to secure women's rights and prohibit discrimination; establishes state obligations, a monitoring committee and an optional complaints mechanism.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination UN treaty adopted in 1965 that defines racial discrimination, requires states to prohibit it, and established a committee to monitor compliance and consider complaints.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities United Nations treaty ensuring equal rights, accessibility, and participation for persons with disabilities; adopted 2006, in force 2008, widely ratified and monitored by a UN comm…

Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees An overview of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention: its definition of refugee, main protections and obligations, historical development, practical importance, and important distinctions…

Conviction (criminal law) Conviction A conviction is a court's finding that a defendant is guilty of a criminal offense. This article explains what convictions mean, how they arise, their legal effects, common types,…

Copyleft: reciprocal licensing that preserves freedom to modify and share Copyleft Copyleft is a family of licenses that require recipients to retain the same freedoms to use, modify and redistribute works; commonly used for software, creative works, and document…

Copyright (intellectual property law) Copyright Copyright is a legal right that protects original creative works by giving creators exclusive control over copying, distribution and certain uses, typically for the author's life p…

Copyright infringement: definition, forms, legal issues, and consequences Copyright infringement Unauthorized use of works protected by copyright law, its common forms, terminology debates, legal exceptions, historical development and enforcement outcomes.

Copyright status of works by the U.S. federal government Copyright status of work by the U.S. government Overview of how U.S. federal government works are treated under U.S. copyright law, scope, common exceptions, practical uses, and important limitations to consider.

Corn Laws: British grain tariffs and their 19th-century repeal Corn Laws British 19th-century laws that restricted grain imports to protect landowners, sparking political conflict, economic debate and eventual repeal in 1846 with wide social consequence…

Corporal punishment Physical punishment intended to cause pain as discipline or penalty; overview of forms, history, legal status, effects on children and adults, and arguments for and against.

Corporate governance: principles, structure, and significance Corporate governance An accessible overview of corporate governance: what it is, who is involved, common mechanisms, historical development, and why sound governance matters for companies and stakehold…

Corwin Amendment (1861) Corwin Amendment A proposed U.S. constitutional amendment passed by Congress in March 1861 to bar federal interference with state 'domestic institutions'—an effort to reassure slaveholding states t…

Court (legal forum) Court A court is a public institution where judges and other officials apply law to resolve disputes, decide criminal guilt, interpret statutes and protect rights. This article outlines…

Court order A court order is a directive issued by a judge commanding or prohibiting actions by parties in a legal proceeding; it shapes case process, enforces rights, and may be appealed or e…

Court reporting (court stenography): role, methods, and uses Court reporting Court reporting is the professional transcription of legal and official proceedings using stenography, voice writing, and digital tools to create accurate, admissible transcripts a…

Court-martial: Military Trial Procedures, History, and Uses Court-martial A court-martial is a judicial proceeding conducted under military law to try service members (and sometimes others) for offenses; it has distinct types, rights, and appeals separat…

Coverture: common-law doctrine governing married women's legal identity Coverture Coverture: common-law doctrine treating a married couple as a single legal entity under the husband; origins in English law, effects on property and rights, 19th–20th century refor…

Crime: definitions, categories, causes, and criminal justice responses Crime An overview of crime: what it is, common categories, basic legal elements, historical development, societal harms, and how justice systems respond, including prevention and rehabil…

Violence and Crime in Brazil: trends, geographic variation, and policy responses Crime in Brazil Overview of violence and crime in Brazil: trends in homicides and urban offenses, regional and social disparities, organized crime, and state policy responses, with data-driven ana…

Crime in Kansas: patterns, law enforcement, and regional context Crime in Kansas A concise guide to crime in Kansas covering typical patterns, historical context, law enforcement structure, prevention efforts, and regional differences across urban and rural are…

Crimes against civilian populations: definition, forms, and legal framework Crimes against humanity Overview of crimes against civilian populations: definitions, common forms (murder, deportation, torture, sexual violence), legal frameworks, state or organizational responsibility…

Criminal law: principles, purposes, and legal framework Criminal law An overview of criminal law, its core elements, objectives, procedures, history, and how it differs from civil law, with examples of common offences and notable developments.

Criminal procedure Criminal procedure: the rules and stages governing how criminal cases are investigated, charged, tried, and reviewed, including defendants’ rights, typical steps, and variations ac…

Criminal record: overview, contents, and effects Criminal record A criminal record is an official account of a person’s interactions with the criminal justice system. It lists arrests, charges, convictions and dispositions and affects employment…

Cruel and Unusual Punishment: Definition, History, and Legal Principles Cruel and unusual punishment An overview of cruel and unusual punishment: its defining features, historical development, legal application, and how courts and human rights law assess measures that cause severe…

Cruelty to animals: forms, legal responses, and how to help Cruelty to animals Overview of animal cruelty: definitions, common forms, legal and social responses, and ways individuals and communities can prevent and report abuse.

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health (1990) — Right-to-Die Landmark Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health Summary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Cruzan (1990): facts, legal issues, holding that states may require clear and convincing evidence before life-sustaining treatment is…

Curfew: definition, history, types, uses, and legal issues Curfew Curfew: an order restricting movement during set hours. Covers government emergency curfews, juvenile curfews, public‑health measures, origins in medieval 'couvre‑feu', enforcement…

Custody Custody denotes legal or physical control of a person or property, including child custody arrangements, arrest/detention, and custodial responsibilities for assets or care.

Damages (law): Purpose, types, measurement and limits Damages Damages are monetary awards ordered by a court to compensate a person for loss or injury. This article outlines the main types, how they are measured, historical development, commo…

Data Protection Act 2018 (United Kingdom) Data Protection Act 2018 UK law updating data protection rules for personal information, implementing EU-style protections and defining rights, responsibilities, exemptions and enforcement for controllers…

Dawn Lawrie — Northern Territory politician and administrator Dawn Lawrie Alline Dawn Lawrie (born 1938) is an Australian politician who represented Nightcliff in the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly (1974–1983) and served as Administrator of the…

De facto: meaning, uses, and distinctions De facto De facto (Latin: 'in fact') describes practices or conditions that exist in reality, regardless of legal recognition. Commonly contrasted with de jure, it appears in law, politics,…

De jure: legal status, contrast with de facto, and common uses De jure De jure (Latin: 'in law') denotes what is established by law or formal authority. Contrasts with de facto; used in legal, political, and technical contexts to distinguish official…

De minimis: the legal doctrine that trifles need not be litigated De minimis De minimis is a legal doctrine, from the Latin maxim 'de minimis non curat lex', allowing courts and regulators to ignore trivial matters that have no practical significance.

Death penalty (capital punishment): overview, practice, and debate Death penalty Capital punishment is the legally authorized execution of a person by a government. This article explains what it is, how it is used worldwide, methods and safeguards, historical t…

Death row (people sentenced to capital punishment) Death row Death row denotes incarcerated persons sentenced to death and the institutional practices, execution methods, legal procedures, history, and controversies surrounding capital punis…

Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG) Debian Free Software Guidelines The DFSG are a set of criteria used by the Debian Project to decide whether a software license is free and whether software may be included in Debian's main distribution.

Debt: definition, forms, uses, risks, and economic impact Debt An overview of debt: what it is, common forms, how it works, uses by households and firms, risks and crises, and distinctions from equity and other obligations.

Debt bondage (bonded labour) Debt bondage Debt bondage, or bonded labour, is a form of forced labour in which a person is compelled to work to repay a debt under conditions that make repayment impossible and restrict freed…

Declaration of Montreal (2006) on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Human Rights Declaration of Montreal A non‑binding civil society declaration adopted in Montreal (29 July 2006) calling for equal rights and protections for LGBT and intersex people, including legal recognition, healt…