The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is a Department of Justice federal law enforcement agency charged with investigating violations of federal firearm, alcohol, and tobacco laws. The ATF’s mission is to protect the...
criminal law and procedure
burglary
Burglary is a crime under both the common law and the model penal code. Exact definitions of burglary under the common law vary by jurisdiction though they all criminalize some form of illegally entering a building at night with the intent to...
but-for cause
But-for cause, sometimes used interchangeably with actual cause, is a necessary element for both liability in civil cases and a guilty verdict under much of criminal law.
In civil cases, but-for cause combines with proximate cause to...but-for test
The but-for test is a test commonly used in both tort law and criminal law to determine actual causation. The test asks, "but for the existence of X, would Y have occurred?"
In tort law, but-for causation is a prerequisite...
cannibalism
Cannibalism is defined as the consumption of another human's body matter, whether consensual or not. In the United States, there are no laws against cannibalism per se, but most, if not all, states have enacted laws that indirectly make it...
capital offense
A capital offense is a criminal charge that is punishable by the death penalty. It is not necessary that the actual punishment imposed was the death penalty, but rather a capital office is classified as such if the permissible punishment...
capital punishment
Capital punishment, which is also known as the death penalty, is criminal punishment that takes the defendant’s life as the punishment for the defendant’s crime. The sentence ordering capital punishment is called the death sentence, and the...
carnal knowledge
Carnal knowledge is sexual intercourse between two people, typically requiring at least some slight penetration. Carnal knowledge is a necessary element of many sex crimes such as rape, child molestation, or consensual sexual relations with...
case
A case is a civil or criminal proceeding at law or in equity. It can also be referred to as an action, suit, or controversy, depending on the jurisdiction and the nature of the dispute.
A civil case normally involves two parties with...castle doctrine
The castle doctrine refers to an exception to the duty to retreat before using deadly self-defense if a party is in their own home.
Under the doctrine of self-defense, a party who reasonably believes they are threatened...