Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes > Title 9-A > Article 6 - Administration

• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• County commissioners: means the elected county commissioners of Piscataquis County. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 30-A Sec. 822
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Domestic partner: means one of 2 unmarried adults who are domiciled together under long-term arrangements that evidence a commitment to remain responsible indefinitely for each other's welfare. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Hearsay: Statements by a witness who did not see or hear the incident in question but heard about it from someone else. Hearsay is usually not admissible as evidence in court.
• 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.
• lands: includes lands and all tenements and hereditaments connected therewith, and all rights thereto and interests therein. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Legislative committee: means a joint standing committee of the Legislature, a joint select committee of the Legislature, a task force, commission or council or any other committee established by the Legislature and composed wholly or partly of Legislators for the purpose of conducting legislative business. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 2 Sec. 201
• Marijuana: includes the leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of all species of the plant genus Cannabis, whether growing or not; but does not include the resin extracted from any part of such plant and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation from such resin including hashish and does not include the mature stalks of such plant, fiber produced from such stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of such plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of such mature stalks, fiber, oil or cake or the sterilized seed of such plant that is incapable of germination. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17-A Sec. 1101
• Month: means a calendar month. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Mortgage loan: A loan made by a lender to a borrower for the financing of real property. ^{Source: OCC}
• Mortgagor: The person who pledges property to a creditor as collateral for a loan and who receives the money.
• 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:
• 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.
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation officers: Screen applicants for pretrial release and monitor convicted offenders released under court supervision.
• Program evaluation report: means the report submitted to the Legislature by an agency or an independent agency in accordance with Title 3, section 956. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 2701
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Racial impact statement: means an assessment of the potential impact that legislation could have on historically disadvantaged racial populations. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 2 Sec. 201
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• State agency: means a state department, agency, office, board or commission or a quasi-independent agency, board, commission, authority or institution. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 2 Sec. 201
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Under age: means under the age of 18. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
• Victim: means :