actus reus

Definition

The physical act of committing a crime, as opposed to just thinking about it really hard. It's the 'you actually have to do something illegal' requirement of criminal law—mere evil thoughts don't count, despite what your conscience says.

Example Usage

While the defendant clearly hated his boss, there was no actus reus since threatening someone in your diary doesn't constitute assault.

Origin

Latin for 'guilty act'

Fun Fact

Actus reus and mens rea together form the two essential elements of most crimes—you need both the guilty act and the guilty mind to earn that orange jumpsuit.

Source: Common criminal law terminology

Related Terms

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expressly

The adverb lawyers use when they want to emphasize that something is explicitly and unambiguously stated, leaving zero room for creative interpretation. It's the legal equivalent of writing something in all caps with three exclamation marks. If a contract doesn't say something expressly, clever lawyers will find seventeen ways to argue what it might have meant instead.

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pro tanto

Latin for 'for so much' or 'to that extent,' used to describe partial payment or credit. When you can't pay everything, pro tanto means you paid what you could.

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dicta

The judicial equivalent of a judge thinking out loud—commentary in a court opinion that's not essential to the decision and therefore not legally binding. It's like the DVD commentary track of legal opinions: interesting, but ultimately skippable.

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abatement

The formal term for reducing, lessening, or eliminating something—usually taxes, nuisances, or pollutants. In real estate, it's the magical discount on property taxes that developers somehow always manage to secure. Think of it as the official way to say 'we're cutting you some slack,' except with legal implications and municipal paperwork.

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double jeopardy

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parol evidence rule

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twyms

that's what your mom said...