jury

Definition

A group of ordinary citizens conscripted to sit in judgment, or a panel of experts judging a competition—basically democracy's way of proving that anyone can decide important things with minimal training.

Example Usage

The jury for the design competition consisted entirely of people whose last design decision was choosing their LinkedIn profile picture.

Source: Legal terminology, Merriam-Webster

Related Terms

Advanced

chancery

Historically, the court where equity ruled supreme and rigid legal technicalities went to die—think fairness over formality. In the U.S., it became synonymous with equity courts where judges could use their discretion to deliver just outcomes. Now also refers to the building housing diplomatic missions, because apparently legal and diplomatic confusion needed to share a name.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

Arbitration

A process where two parties who hate each other agree to let a third party they have never met settle their dispute instead of going to court. It is basically Judge Judy without the television audience and snarky one-liners.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

trial

A judicial examination of facts and law before a court—basically, where two parties duke it out in front of a judge while everyone pretends civility is the goal. A trial is also a difficult experience or a test of something's worth.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

in camera

Proceedings conducted in the judge's private chambers or otherwise outside public view, usually to protect sensitive information. It's the legal system's closed-door meeting, where the real decisions sometimes get made.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

brief

A written legal argument submitted to a court outlining the facts, issues, and legal precedents supporting your case. Despite the name, these documents are rarely brief—lawyers get paid by the hour, after all. A well-crafted brief can win cases before you even step into the courtroom; a terrible one can torpedo your case before the judge finishes their morning coffee.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

cessation

The fancy corporate and legal term for 'stopping' that makes temporary or permanent discontinuation sound more official and less like giving up. In employment law, it's what happens before the lawyers get involved. It's the word that turns 'we quit' into 'there was a cessation of operations,' adding gravitas to what might just be failure.

⚖️ Legal

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