Terms Used In Missouri Laws > Chapter 18 - Energy Compact

• Adequate cause: cause that would reasonably produce a degree of passion in a person of ordinary temperament sufficient to substantially impair an ordinary person's capacity for self-control. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• Aggravated sexual offense: any sexual offense, in the course of which, the actor:

  (a) Inflicts serious physical injury on the victim. See Missouri Laws 566.010

• 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.
• 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
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Child: a person under seventeen years of age. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• Civil forfeiture: The loss of ownership of property used to conduct illegal activity.
• Commercial sex act: any sex act on account of which anything of value is given to or received by any person. See Missouri Laws 566.010
• Conduct: includes any act or omission. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• Continuance: Putting off of a hearing ot trial until a later time.
• 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.
• Course of conduct: a pattern of conduct composed of two or more acts, which may include communication by any means, over a period of time, however short, evidencing a continuity of purpose. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• 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.
• Deliberation: cool reflection for any length of time no matter how brief. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Deviate sexual intercourse: any act involving the genitals of one person and the hand, mouth, tongue, or anus of another person or a sexual act involving the penetration, however slight, of the penis, female genitalia, or the anus by a finger, instrument or object done for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of any person or for the purpose of terrorizing the victim. See Missouri Laws 566.010
• Deviate sexual intercourse: any sexual act involving the genitals of one person and the mouth, hand, tongue, or anus of another person. See Missouri Laws 567.010
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Domestic victim: a household or family member as the term "family" or "household member" is defined in section 455. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• Emotional distress: something markedly greater than the level of uneasiness, nervousness, unhappiness, or the like which are commonly experienced in day-to-day living. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• 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}
• 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.
• films: the making of any photograph, motion picture film, videotape, or any other recording or transmission of the image of a person. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
• Forced labor: a condition of servitude induced by means of:

  (a) Any scheme, plan, or pattern of behavior intended to cause a person to believe that, if the person does not enter into or continue the servitude, such person or another person will suffer substantial bodily harm or physical restraint. See Missouri Laws 566.010

• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Full or partial nudity: the showing of all or any part of the human genitals, pubic area, buttock, or any part of the nipple of the breast of any female person, with less than a fully opaque covering. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• 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.
• Guardian: if used in a section in a context relating to property rights or obligations, means conservator of the estate as defined in chapter 475. See Missouri Laws 1.020
• hereafter: means the time after the statute containing it takes effect. See Missouri Laws 1.020
• 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.
• 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.
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• Legal custody: the right to the care, custody and control of a child. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Oral argument: An opportunity for lawyers to summarize their position before the court and also to answer the judges' questions.
• Parent: either a biological parent or a parent by adoption. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• 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.
• Persistent prostitution offender: a person who has been found guilty of two or more prostitution-related offenses. See Missouri Laws 567.010
• person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020
• Person having a right of custody: a parent or legal guardian of the child. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• Place of residence: means the place where the family of any person permanently resides in this state, and the place where any person having no family generally lodges. See Missouri Laws 1.020
• 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.
• 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: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Property: includes real and personal property. See Missouri Laws 1.020
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Prostitution-related offense: any violation of state law for prostitution, patronizing prostitution, or promoting prostitution. See Missouri Laws 567.010
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sexual conduct: sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse or sexual contact. See Missouri Laws 566.010
• Sexual conduct: sexual intercourse, deviate sexual intercourse, or sexual contact. See Missouri Laws 567.010
• Sexual contact: any touching of another person with the genitals or any touching of the genitals or anus of another person, or the breast of a female person, or such touching through the clothing, or causing semen, seminal fluid, or other ejaculate to come into contact with another person, for the purpose of arousing or gratifying the sexual desire of any person or for the purpose of terrorizing the victim. See Missouri Laws 566.010
• Sexual contact: any touching of another person with the genitals or any touching of the genitals or anus of another person or the breast of a female person, or such touching through the clothing, for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire of any person or for the purpose of terrorizing the victim. See Missouri Laws 567.010
• Sexual intercourse: any penetration, however slight, of the female genitalia by the penis. See Missouri Laws 566.010
• Sexual intercourse: any penetration, however slight, of the female genitalia by the penis. See Missouri Laws 567.010
• Something of value: any money or property, or any token, object or article exchangeable for money or property. See Missouri Laws 567.010
• Special victim: any of the following:

  (a) A law enforcement officer assaulted in the performance of his or her official duties or as a direct result of such official duties. See Missouri Laws 565.002

• State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Sudden passion: passion directly caused by and arising out of provocation by the victim or another acting with the victim which passion arises at the time of the offense and is not solely the result of former provocation. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• 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.
• Trier: the judge or jurors to whom issues of fact, guilt or innocence, or the assessment and declaration of punishment are submitted for decision. See Missouri Laws 565.002
• United States: includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
• Usury: Charging an illegally high interest rate on a loan. ^{Source: OCC}
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.