Terms Used In New York Laws > Environmental Conservation > Article 48 - Environmental Justice

• Advisory group: means the permanent environmental justice advisory group established by section 48-0105 of this article. See N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0103
• Affirmed: In the practice of the appellate courts, the decree or order is declared valid and will stand as rendered in the lower court.
• Agency: means any state department, agency, board, bureau, commission, division, office, council, or any public authority or public benefit corporation. See N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0103
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• 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.
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• 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.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Environmental justice: means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, religion, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of laws, regulations and policies affecting the quality of the environment. See N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0103
• 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.
• Fair treatment: means that no group of people, including a racial, ethnic or socioeconomic group, should be disproportionately exposed to pollution or bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from execution of federal, state and local programs and policies, and further means that no such group of people should suffer from inequitable allocation of public resources or financial assistance for environmental protection and stewardship, including environmental remediation, pollution prevention, open space acquisition and other protection and stewardship activities. See N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0103
• 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.
• Meaningful involvement: means the provision of opportunities for citizen participation in decision making that are as reflective of the diversity of interests and perspective found within the affected community as possible, including those of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups; that are provided as early as possible in the decision making process; that provide full, timely and accessible disclosure of public records and sharing of information by the government agency or agencies involved, including the provision of technical data and the assumptions upon which any analyses are based; and that allow all people, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin or income, the opportunity to have their views heard and considered, including opportunities for two-way dialogue. See N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law 48-0103
• Minority leader: See Floor Leaders
• 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.
• 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.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.