There are several, related usages of the word “affirm” in a legal context; but, generally it means “to confirm or ratify.” Common occurrences of this word include:
An appellate court can affirm the ruling that was the subject of the appeal...courts
affray
Affray is a term used to define a common law offense, which involves fighting between people in a public place that disturbs the peace.
In Massachusetts, an affray “is an offense against the public, an aggravated...
after-discovered evidence
After-discovered evidence, or newly discovered evidence, is evidence which existed at the time of the original trial but was only discovered after the conclusion of the trial. After-discovered evidence is an issue predominantly in criminal...
agency
Agency law is the common law doctrine controlling relationships between agents and principals. A principal-agent relationship is created when the agent is given authority to act for the principal. An agreement made by an agent is binding on...
agent
An agent is a person authorized to act on behalf of another person. The party an agent is authorized to act for is known as the principal. A principal-agent relationship can either be intentionally created or created by implication through...
agent for acceptance of service
See: agent for service of process
[Last updated in March of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]
agent for service of process
An agent for service of process is the person designated by a business entity, such as a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), to receive legal documents and lawsuits on behalf of the business entity within the state in which the...
aggregation of jurisdictional amount
A party with multiple claims may wish to aggregate them to meet the jurisdictional amount (also known as amount in controversy) requirement for their desired court. The current amount in controversy requirement is $75,000. While this practice...
Alford plea
The name, Alford plea, is taken from the case North Carolina v. Alford.
An Alford plea, also known as a "best-interests plea," registers a formal admission of guilt towards charges in criminal court while the defendant...
Alien Tort Statute
The Alien Tort Statute ("ATS"; also known as the Alien Tort Claims Act) is a common name for 28 U.S.C. § 1350. The ATS grants federal district courts original jurisdiction over any civil action where an alien sues for a tort “committed in...