Common Legal Terminology

Voir dire -
Jury selection process of questioning prospective jurors, to ascertain their qualifications and determine any basis for challenge.
Voluntary transfer -
A transfer of a debtor’s property with the debtor’s consent.
Wage garnishment -
A nonbankruptcy legal proceeding whereby a plaintiff or creditor seeks to subject to his or her claim the future wages of a debtor. In other words, the creditor seeks to have part of the debtor’s future wages paid to the creditor for a debt owed to the creditor.
Warrant -
Court authorization, most often for law enforcement officers, to conduct a search or make an arrest.
Witness -
A person called upon by either side in a lawsuit to give testimony before the court or jury.
Writ -
A written court order directing a person to take, or refrain from taking, a certain act.
Writ of certiorari -
An order issued by the U.S. Supreme Court directing the lower court to transmit records for a case which it will hear on appeal.
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All terms and definitions on this page are from uscourts.gov/glossary (April 13, 2020)