Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 12 > Chapter 2 - Judicial Officers and Employees

• Adult: means a person who has attained eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Advisory committee: means a local community punishment advisory committee appointed by the presiding judge of the superior court. See Arizona Laws 12-299
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Application process and procedures: means the criteria and guidelines developed by the supreme court for establishing community punishment plans, granting monies for programs authorized by this article and monitoring and reviewing programs funded under this article. See Arizona Laws 12-299
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Aquaculture: means the controlled propagation, growth and harvest of aquatic animals or plants, including fish, amphibians, shellfish, mollusks, crustaceans, algae and vascular plants. See Arizona Laws 3-1201
• Area of jurisdiction: means that part of a city or town, or that part of the unincorporated area of a county, or both when applied to a cable television system within parts of more than one jurisdiction, for which a license is issued. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Associate director: means the associate director of the division. See Arizona Laws 3-1201
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Attorney-at-law: A person who is legally qualified and licensed to practice law, and to represent and act for clients in legal proceedings.
• Bailiff: a court officer who enforces the rules of behavior in courtrooms.
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• Bond: means any bond issued pursuant to this article, including any tax secured bond. See Arizona Laws 9-521
• Cable operator: means a person that is issued a license by the licensing authority to construct, operate and maintain a cable television system in public streets, roads and alleys. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Cable service: means the transmission to subscribers of video programming or other programming service and subscriber interaction, if any, that is required for the selection or use of the video programming or other programming service. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Cable television system: means any facility consisting of a set of closed transmission paths and associated signal generation, reception and control equipment that is designed to provide cable service that includes video programming and that is provided to multiple subscribers within a community. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Community punishment: means programs for persons placed on supervised probation or intensive probation which are established pursuant to this article and provide for increased conditions of probation and community based programs and services that emphasize supervision, surveillance, control, public protection, community work service, restitution and victims' rights and that provide opportunities for rehabilitation and treatment. See Arizona Laws 12-299
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• council: means the cotton research and protection council. See Arizona Laws 3-1081
• Court reporter: A person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in court and produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.
• Credit bureau: An agency that collects individual credit information and sells it for a fee to creditors so they can make a decision on granting loans. Typical clients include banks, mortgage lenders, credit card companies, and other financing companies. (Also commonly referred to as consumer-reporting agency or credit-reporting agency.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the Arizona department of agriculture. See Arizona Laws 3-101
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Division: means the animal services division of the Arizona department of agriculture. See Arizona Laws 3-1201
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Equine: means horses, mules, burros and asses. See Arizona Laws 3-1201
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: A government corporation that insures the deposits of all national and state banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fixed Rate: Having a "fixed" rate means that the APR doesn't change based on fluctuations of some external rate (such as the "Prime Rate"). In other words, a fixed rate is a rate that is not a variable rate. A fixed APR can change over time, in several circumstances:
  • You are late making a payment or commit some other default, triggering an increase to a penalty rate
  • The bank changes the terms of your account and you do not reject the change.
  • The rate expires (if the rate was fixed for only a certain period of time).
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Governing body: means the board, commission or other body having charge of the financial affairs of a municipality. See Arizona Laws 9-521
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Grantee: includes every person to whom an estate or interest in real property passes, in or by a deed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Gross revenues: means all cash, credits, property of any kind or nature, or other consideration, less related bad debt not to exceed one and one-half per cent annually, that is received directly or indirectly by the cable operator, its affiliates, subsidiaries or parent or any person, firm or corporation in which the cable operator has a financial interest or that has a financial interest in the cable operator and that is derived from the cable operator's operation of its cable system to provide cable service in the area of jurisdiction. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• License: means that ordinance or resolution which contains the right, authority or grant, given by a licensing authority enabling a person to construct, operate and maintain a cable television system. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Licensing authority: means the board of supervisors of a county or the governing body of an incorporated city, including a charter city, or town. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Livestock: means cattle, equine, sheep, goats and swine, except feral pigs. See Arizona Laws 3-1201
• Minor: means a person under eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Month: means a calendar month unless otherwise expressed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Municipality: means any incorporated city or town. See Arizona Laws 9-521
• Oath: includes an affirmation or declaration. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Other programming service: means information that a cable operator makes available to all subscribers generally. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Peace officers: means sheriffs of counties, constables, marshals, policemen of cities and towns, commissioned personnel of the department of public safety, personnel who are employed by the state department of corrections and the department of juvenile corrections and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, peace officers who are appointed by a multicounty water conservation district and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by community college district governing boards and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by the Arizona board of regents and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by the governing body of a public airport pursuant to section 28-8426 and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, peace officers who are appointed by a private postsecondary institution pursuant to section 15-1897 and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board and special agents from the office of the attorney general, or of a county attorney, and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Petty offense: A federal misdemeanor punishable by six months or less in prison. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Population: means the population according to the most recent United States decennial census. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Poultry: means any domesticated bird, whether live or dead, and includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, guineas, ratites and squabs. See Arizona Laws 3-1201
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Presentence report: A report prepared by a court's probation officer, after a person has been convicted of an offense, summarizing for the court the background information needed to determine the appropriate sentence. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Probation officers: Screen applicants for pretrial release and monitor convicted offenders released under court supervision.
• Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Range: means every character of lands, enclosed or unenclosed, outside of cities and towns, upon which livestock is permitted by custom, license or permit to roam and feed. See Arizona Laws 3-1201
• Ratite: means ostriches, emus, rheas and cassowaries. See Arizona Laws 3-1201
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Renovation: means the repair, remodeling, alteration or expansion of existing buildings or structures to make them habitable or suitable for program operations. See Arizona Laws 12-299
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Tax secured bond: means any bond authorized and issued pursuant to both this article and Title 35, Chapter 3, Article 3. See Arizona Laws 9-521
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• User fees: Fees charged to users of goods or services provided by the government. In levying or authorizing these fees, the legislature determines whether the revenue should go into the treasury or should be available to the agency providing the goods or services.
• Utility undertaking: means any one or combination of the following:

  (a) Electric light or power, water, storm water, sewer, gas, common carrier of passengers, garbage, or rubbish plant or system, including but not limited to disposal, treatment or reduction plants, buildings, incinerators, dams and reservoirs. See Arizona Laws 9-521

• Variable Rate: Having a "variable" rate means that the APR changes from time to time based on fluctuations in an external rate, normally the Prime Rate. This external rate is known as the "index." If the index changes, the variable rate normally changes. Also see Fixed Rate.
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Video programming: means programming that is provided by, or generally comparable to programming provided by, a broadcast television station. See Arizona Laws 9-505
• Wilfully: means , with respect to conduct or to a circumstance described by a statute defining an offense, that a person is aware or believes that the person's conduct is of that nature or that the circumstance exists. See Arizona Laws 1-215