Law, Crime & Punishment, MAY-NEW
Every society draws lines between order and disorder. Explore the laws, crimes, courts, and punishments that reveal how communities define justice and respond when rules are broken.
Law, Crime & Punishment Encyclopedia Articles By Title
mayhem
mayhem, in Anglo-American law, offense against the person in which the offender violently deprives his victim of......
Maze prison
Maze prison, prison located 10 miles (16 km) west of Belfast, N.Ire., that was a symbolic centre of the struggle......
McCardle, Ex Parte
Ex Parte McCardle, (1869), refusal of the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case involving the Reconstruction Acts.......
McCollum v. Board of Education
McCollum v. Board of Education, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on March 8, 1948, ruled (8â1) that an Illinois......
McCulloch v. Maryland
McCulloch v. Maryland, U.S. Supreme Court case decided in 1819, in which Chief Justice John Marshall affirmed the......
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission
McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on April 2, 2014, struck......
McDaniel v. Barresi
McDaniel v. Barresi, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on April 20, 1971, ruled (9â0) that a Georgia public......
McDonald v. City of Chicago
McDonald v. City of Chicago, case in which on June 28, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5â4) that the Second......
McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously......
Meat Inspection Act of 1906
Meat Inspection Act of 1906, U.S. legislation, signed by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt on June 30, 1906, that prohibited......
medical jurisprudence
medical jurisprudence, science that deals with the relation and application of medical facts to legal problems.......
Medieval law
Medieval law, body of law in Europe during the Middle Ages, which consisted largely of common or customary law......
Meek v. Pittenger
Meek v. Pittenger, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on May 19, 1975, ruled (6â3) that two Pennsylvania laws......
Meganâs law
Meganâs law, any law requiring that law-enforcement officials notify local schools, day-care centres, and residents......
Meiji Constitution
Meiji Constitution, constitution of Japan from 1889 to 1947. After the Meiji Restoration (1868), Japanâs leaders......
Memphis massacre of 1866
Memphis massacre of 1866, in the U.S. post-Civil War period, a brutal and unprovoked attack by a white mob on Black......
Mens rea
Mens rea, in Anglo-American law, criminal intent or evil mind. In general, the definition of a criminal offense......
Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson
Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 19, 1986, ruled unanimously......
Merryman, Ex Parte
Ex Parte Merryman, (1861), in U.S. legal history, American Civil War case contesting the presidentâs power to suspend......
metes and bounds
metes and bounds, limits or boundaries of a tract of land as identified by natural landmarks, such as rivers, or......
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), legal-aid resource and activist organization established......
Mexican Mafia
Mexican Mafia, prison gang and street gang network in the United States, centred in southern California but active......
Milan Decree
Milan Decree, (Dec. 17, 1807) economic policy in the Napoleonic Wars. It was part of the Continental System invoked......
Milan, Edict of
Edict of Milan, proclamation that permanently established religious toleration for Christianity within the Roman......
military government
military government, administration of occupied territory by an occupying power, including the exercise of executive,......
Military law
Military law, the body of law concerned with the maintenance of discipline in the armed forces. Every state requires......
military necessity
military necessity, the claim that, because of extreme circumstances, security concerns override competing considerations.......
military police
military police, disciplinary force, composed of soldiers, that exercises police and related functions in armies.......
militia movement
militia movement, in the United States, movement of private, generally right-wing paramilitary organizations whose......
Miller-Tydings Act of 1937
Miller-Tydings Act of 1937, U.S. federal legislation that exempted retail price-maintenance agreements (also known......
Milligan, Ex Parte
Ex Parte Milligan, (1866), case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could not establish......
ministĂšre public
ministĂšre public, in France, the office of public prosecutor, with the responsibility for prosecuting criminal......
Minor
Minor, person below the legal age of majority or adulthood. The age of majority varies in different countries,......
Minor v. Happersett
Minor v. Happersett, U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court ruled unanimously in 1874 that the right of suffrage......
Miranda v. Arizona
Miranda v. Arizona, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 13, 1966, established a code of conduct......
Miranda warning
Miranda warning, tenet of United States criminal procedure that protects an individualâs rights during an arrest.......
misprision
misprision, in law, criminal misconduct of various types. Concealment of a serious crime by one who knows of its......
misrepresentation
misrepresentation, in law, any representation by words or other means made by one person to another that, under......
Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan
Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5â4), on July 1, 1982,......
Missouri Compromise
Missouri Compromise, (1820), in U.S. history, measure worked out between the North and the South and passed by......
Missouri Plan
Missouri Plan, method of selecting judges that originated in the state of Missouri and subsequently was adopted......
Mistrial
Mistrial, in law, a trial that has been terminated and declared void before the tribunal can hand down a decision......
Mitchell v. Helms
Mitchell v. Helms, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 28, 2000, ruled (6â3) that a federal programâChapter......
Mob Convention
Mob Convention, woman suffrage meeting, held September 6â7, 1853, in New York City, that earned its popular label......
Model Parliament
Model Parliament, parliament called by King Edward I of England in 1295 that is widely regarded as the first representative......
modus operandi
modus operandi, in criminology, distinct pattern or manner of working that comes to be associated with a particular......
Molasses Act
Molasses Act, (1733), in American colonial history, a British law that imposed a tax on molasses, sugar, and rum......
money laundering
money laundering, the process by which criminals disguise the illegal origin and ownership of the proceeds of their......
Montonero
Montonero, member of an Argentine left-wing Peronist group known for violent urban terrorist actions such as political......
Moore v. Harper
Moore v. Harper, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court rejected (6â3) the âindependent state legislature theory,â......
morality police
morality police, law enforcement body in Iran created in 2005 to enforce regulations on modest dress (áž„ijÄb) and......
Morse v. Frederick
Morse v. Frederick, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25, 2007, ruled (5â4) that Alaskan school officials......
Mortmain
Mortmain, in English law, the state of land being held by the âdead handâ (French: mort main) of a corporation.......
motion
motion, in parliamentary rules of order, a procedure by which proposals are submitted for the consideration of......
Motion Picture Association
Motion Picture Association (MPA), in the United States, organization of the major motion-picture studios that rates......
Movable and immovable
Movable and immovable, in later Roman and modern civil-law systems, the basic division of things subject to ownership.......
MS-13
MS-13, international gang involved in drug and human smuggling, prostitution, murder, and extortion, among other......
Mt. Healthy City Board v. Doyle
Mt. Healthy City Board v. Doyle, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on January 11, 1977, ruled (9â0) that an......
Mueller v. Allen
Mueller v. Allen, case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, 1983, ruled (5â4) that a Minnesota law that......
mug shot
mug shot, photographic image taken by law enforcement officials during the booking process to be used to identify......
Muller v. State of Oregon
Muller v. State of Oregon, U.S. Supreme Court case decided in 1908 that, although it appeared to promote the health......
Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008
Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008, multiple terrorist attacks carried out by 10 militants associated with the Pakistan-based......
Munich 1972 Olympic Games
Munich 1972 Olympic Games, athletic festival held in Munich that took place August 26âSeptember 11, 1972. The Munich......
Munich massacre
Munich massacre, terrorist attack on Israeli Olympic team members at the 1972 Summer Games in Munich orchestrated......
Munn v. Illinois
Munn v. Illinois, (1877), case in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the power of government to regulate private......
Murdaugh Family
In the 2020s the Murdaugh family of South Carolina became nationally known after Alex Murdaugh, a notable attorney,......
murder
murder, in criminal law, the killing of one person by another that is not legally justified or excusable, usually......
Murder Most Horrid: The Grisliest Deaths of Roman Catholic Saints
Beheading, stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake: In the annals of Roman Catholic saints, those methods of......
murder of James Byrd, Jr.
murder of James Byrd, Jr., killing of James Byrd, Jr., an African American man, on June 7, 1998, in the East Texas......
Murder of JonBenét Ramsey
âWe have your daughter.â Those words, handwritten on a ransom note, launched one of the most sensationalized crime......
Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association
Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, legal case in which, on May 14, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court......
mutiny
mutiny, any overt act of defiance or attack upon military (including naval) authority by two or more persons subject......
Myers v. United States
Myers v. United States, (1926), U.S. Supreme Court case that voided a legislative provision restricting the authority......
MÄori Representation Act
MÄori Representation Act, (1867), legislation that created four MÄori parliamentary seats in New Zealand, bringing......
Nabozny v. Podlesny
Nabozny v. Podlesny, case in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on July 31, 1996, ruled that......
Nantes, Edict of
Edict of Nantes, law promulgated at Nantes in Brittany on April 13, 1598, by Henry IV of France, which granted......
Napoleonic Code
Napoleonic Code, French civil code enacted on March 21, 1804, and still extant, with revisions. It was the main......
Narodnaya Volya
Narodnaya Volya, 19th-century Russian revolutionary organization that regarded terrorist activities as the best......
National Assembly
National Assembly, any of various historical French parliaments or houses of parliament. From June 17 to July 9,......
National Covenant
National Covenant, solemn agreement inaugurated by Scottish churchmen on Feb. 28, 1638, in the Greyfriarsâ churchyard,......
National Defense Education Act
National Defense Education Act (NDEA), U.S. federal legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by Pres.......
National Environmental Policy Act
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the first major U.S. environmental law. Enacted in 1969 and signed into......
National Industrial Recovery Act
National Industrial Recovery Act, U.S. labour legislation (1933) that was one of several measures passed by Congress......
National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning
National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, 2014, ruled......
National Labor Relations Board v. Yeshiva University
National Labor Relations Board v. Yeshiva University, legal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5â4), on......
National Recovery Administration
National Recovery Administration (NRA), U.S. government agency established by Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt to stimulate......
National Security Act
National Security Act, U.S. military- and foreign-policy reform legislation, signed into law by Pres. Harry S.......
National Terrorism Advisory System
National Terrorism Advisory System, two-tiered indicator system that communicates the likelihood of a forthcoming......
National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, U.S. legislation that required automobile manufacturers to institute......
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), U.S. law that regulates the handling of Indigenous......
natural law
natural law, in philosophy, system of right or justice held to be common to all humans and derived from nature......
Natural resources law
Natural resources law, complex body of national and local laws, having both statutory and common-law components,......
Navigation Acts
Navigation Acts, in English history, a series of laws designed to restrict Englandâs carrying trade to English......
negligence
negligence, in law, the failure to meet a standard of behaviour established to protect society against unreasonable......
Neutrality
Neutrality, the legal status arising from the abstention of a state from all participation in a war between other......
New Deal
New Deal, domestic program of the administration of U.S. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) between 1933 and 1939,......
New England Patriots
New England Patriots, American professional football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, that plays in the......
New Hampshire v. Louisiana
New Hampshire v. Louisiana, (108 U.S. 76 [1883]), U.S. Supreme Court case (combined with New York v. Louisiana)......
New Jersey Plan
New Jersey Plan, one of two major competing proposals for the structure and functioning of the United States government......
New Orleans massacre of 1866
New Orleans massacre of 1866, incident of white violence directed against newly freed African Americans in urban......