Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 6 > Chapter 1 > Article 3 - Powers and Duties

• Accused: means a person who has been arrested for committing a criminal offense and who is held for an initial appearance or other proceeding before trial. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• Act: means a bodily movement. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Adult: means a person who has attained eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• 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.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• 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
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Arrest: means the actual custodial restraint of a person or the person's submission to custody. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Attorney for the state: means an attorney designated by the attorney general, by a county attorney or by a city attorney to investigate, commence and prosecute an action under this chapter. See Arizona Laws 13-4301
• Bank: means a corporation that holds a banking permit issued pursuant to chapter 2 of this title. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• Banking office: means any place of business of the bank at which deposits are received, checks are paid or money is loaned but does not include the premises used for computer operations, proofing, record keeping, accounting, storage, maintenance or other administrative or service functions. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• Branch: means any banking office other than the principal banking office. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Commercially reasonable: means a sale or disposal that would be commercially reasonable under Title 47, Chapter 9, Article 6. See Arizona Laws 13-4301
• Community supervision: means that portion of a felony sentence that is imposed by the court pursuant to section 13-603, subsection I and that is served in the community after completing a period of imprisonment or served in prison in accordance with Section 41-1604. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conduct: means an act or omission and its accompanying culpable mental state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Court: means all state, county and municipal courts in this state. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Crime: means a misdemeanor or a felony. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Criminal offense: means conduct that gives a peace officer or prosecutor probable cause to believe that a felony, a misdemeanor, a petty offense or a violation of a local criminal ordinance has occurred. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Custodial agency: means any law enforcement officer or agency, a sheriff or municipal jailer, the state department of corrections or a secure mental health facility that has custody of a person who is arrested or in custody for a criminal offense. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Defendant: means a person or entity that is formally charged by complaint, indictment or information of committing a criminal offense. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Department: means the department of insurance and financial institutions. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Deputy director: means the deputy director of the financial institutions division of the department. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Division: means the financial institutions division within the department. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• Economic loss: means any loss incurred by a person as a result of the commission of an offense. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Enterprise: means any person under the jurisdiction of the department other than a financial institution. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• 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.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• 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.
• Felony: means an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in the custody of the state department of corrections is authorized by any law of this state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Final disposition: means the ultimate termination of the criminal prosecution of a defendant by a trial court, including dismissal, acquittal or imposition of a sentence. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Financial institution: means banks, trust companies, savings and loan associations, credit unions, consumer lenders, international banking facilities and financial institution holding companies under the jurisdiction of the department. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• 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.
• 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
• Government: means the state, any political subdivision of the state or any department, agency, board, commission, institution or governmental instrumentality of or within the state or political subdivision. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• 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.
• Immediate family: means a victim's spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent or lawful guardian. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Injured person: means a person who has sustained economic loss, including medical loss, as a result of injury to his person, business or property by the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture of property, and who is not an owner of or an interest holder in the property. See Arizona Laws 13-4301
• Interest holder: means a person in whose favor there is a security interest or who is the beneficiary of a perfected encumbrance pertaining to an interest in property. See Arizona Laws 13-4301
• 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}
• International banking facility: means a facility that is represented by a set of asset and liability accounts segregated on the books and records of a commercial bank, the principal office of which is located in this state, and that is incorporated and doing business under the laws of the United States or of this state, a United States branch or agency of a foreign bank, an edge corporation organized under section 25(a) of the federal reserve act (12 United States Code §§ 611 through 631) or an agreement corporation having an agreement or undertaking with the board of governors of the federal reserve system under section 25 of the federal reserve act (12 United States Code §§ 601 through 604(a)) that includes only international banking facility time deposits and international banking facility extensions of credit as defined in Title 12 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 204. See Arizona Laws 6-101
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Knowingly: 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 13-105
• Lawful representative: means a person who is designated by the victim or appointed by the court and who acts in the best interests of the victim. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• 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}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Minor: means a person under eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Misdemeanor: means an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment other than to the custody of the state department of corrections is authorized by any law of this state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Month: means a calendar month unless otherwise expressed. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. ^{Source: OCC}
• Omission: means the failure to perform an act as to which a duty of performance is imposed by law. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Owner: means a person who is not a secured party as defined in section 47-9102 and who has an interest in property, whether legal or equitable. See Arizona Laws 13-4301
• 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 officer: means any person vested by law with a duty to maintain public order and make arrests and includes a constable. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Person: means a human being and, as the context requires, an enterprise, a public or private corporation, an unincorporated association, a partnership, a firm, a society, a government, a governmental authority or an individual or entity capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Physical injury: means the impairment of physical condition. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. ^Source:
• Possession: means a voluntary act if the defendant knowingly exercised dominion or control over property. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Post-conviction release: means parole, work furlough, community supervision, probation if the court waived community supervision pursuant to section 13-603, home arrest or any other permanent, conditional or temporary discharge from confinement in the custody of the state department of corrections or a sheriff or from confinement in a municipal jail or a secure mental health facility. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Post-conviction relief proceeding: means a contested argument or evidentiary hearing that is held in open court and that involves a request for relief from a conviction or sentence. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Property: means anything of value, tangible or intangible. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Release: means no longer in the custody of a custodial agency and includes transfer from one custodial agency to another custodial agency. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• 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.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Rights: means any right that is granted to the victim by the laws of this state. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Seizing agency: means any department or agency of this state or its political subdivisions that regularly employs peace officers and that employs the peace officer who seizes property for forfeiture, or such other agency as the seizing agency may designate in a particular case by its chief executive officer or the chief executive officer's designee. See Arizona Laws 13-4301
• Seizure for forfeiture: means seizure of property by a peace officer and either:

  (a) There is an assertion by the seizing agency or by an attorney for the state that the property is subject to forfeiture. See Arizona Laws 13-4301

• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Temporary restraining order: Prohibits a person from an action that is likely to cause irreparable harm. This differs from an injunction in that it may be granted immediately, without notice to the opposing party, and without a hearing. It is intended to last only until a hearing can be held.
• 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
• Unlawful: means contrary to law or, where the context so requires, not allowed by law. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Vehicle: means a device in, upon or by which any person or property is, may be or could have been transported or drawn upon a highway, waterway or airway, excepting devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks. See Arizona Laws 13-105
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Victim: means a person against whom the criminal offense has been committed, including a minor, or if the person is killed or incapacitated, the person's spouse, parent, child, grandparent or sibling, any other person related to the person by consanguinity or affinity to the second degree or any other lawful representative of the person, except if the person or the person's spouse, parent, child, grandparent, sibling, other person related to the person by consanguinity or affinity to the second degree or other lawful representative is in custody for an offense or is the accused. See Arizona Laws 13-4401
• Writing: includes printing. See Arizona Laws 1-215