Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 1 - Courts and Judicial Officers Generally

• Action: means any proceeding commenced in a court in which the court may render a judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• 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 board, commission, department, or division thereof, or officer authorized by law to make rules or to issue orders, except those in the legislative and judicial branches. See Oregon Statutes 183.310
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Alternative payment methodology: means a payment other than a fee-for-services payment, used by coordinated care organizations as compensation for the provision of integrated and coordinated health care and services. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Any other state: includes any state and the District of Columbia. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Bailiff: a court officer who enforces the rules of behavior in courtrooms.
• Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• Behavioral health assessment: means an evaluation by a behavioral health clinician, in person or using telemedicine, to determine a patient's need for immediate crisis stabilization. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Behavioral health crisis: means a disruption in an individual's mental or emotional stability or functioning resulting in an urgent need for immediate outpatient treatment in an emergency department or admission to a hospital to prevent a serious deterioration in the individual's mental or physical health. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Behavioral health home: means a mental health disorder or substance use disorder treatment organization, as defined by the Oregon Health Authority by rule, that provides integrated health care to individuals whose primary diagnoses are mental health disorders or substance use disorders. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Category of aid: means assistance provided by the Oregon Supplemental Income Program, aid granted under ORS § 411. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Chambers: A judge's office.
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• City: includes any incorporated village or town. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Committee membership: Legislators are assigned to specific committees by their party. Seniority, regional balance, and political philosophy are the most prominent factors in the committee assignment process.
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Coordinated care organization: means an organization meeting criteria adopted by the Oregon Health Authority under ORS § 414. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• 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.
• County court: includes board of county commissioners. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Court administrator: means a trial court administrator in a circuit court that has a trial court administrator and the clerk of the court in all other courts. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Department: means the Department of Revenue. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Donor: The person who makes a gift.
• Electronic funds transfer: The transfer of money between accounts by consumer electronic systems-such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and electronic payment of bills-rather than by check or cash. (Wire transfers, checks, drafts, and paper instruments do not fall into this category.) ^{Source: OCC}
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• 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.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• exchange: means an American Health Benefit Exchange described in 42 U. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Execution: means enforcement of the money award portion of a judgment or enforcement of a judgment requiring delivery of the possession or sale of specific real or personal property, by means of writs of execution, writs of garnishment and other statutory or common law writs or remedies that may be available under the law. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• executive department: means all statewide elected officers other than judges, and all boards, commissions, departments, divisions and other entities, without regard to the designation given to those entities, that are within the executive branch of government as described in Article III, section 1, of the Oregon Constitution, and that are not:

  (a) In the judicial department or the legislative department;

  (b) Local governments; or

  (c) Special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.112

• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Gender identity: means an individual's gender-related identity, appearance, expression or behavior, regardless of whether the identity, appearance, expression or behavior differs from that associated with the gender assigned to the individual at birth. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• General assistance: means assistance or service of any character provided to needy persons not otherwise provided for to the extent of such need and the availability of funds, including medical, surgical and hospital or other remedial care. See Oregon Statutes 411.010
• General judgment: means the judgment entered by a court that decides all requests for relief in the action except:

  (a) A request for relief previously decided by a limited judgment; and

  (b) A request for relief that may be decided by a supplemental judgment. See Oregon Statutes 18.005

• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Global budget: means a total amount established prospectively by the Oregon Health Authority to be paid to a coordinated care organization for the delivery of, management of, access to and quality of the health care delivered to members of the coordinated care organization. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Health services: means at least so much of each of the following as are funded by the Legislative Assembly based upon the prioritized list of health services compiled by the Health Evidence Review Commission under ORS § 414. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Income: has the meaning given that term in ORS § 411. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Individual: means a natural person, including aliens and minors. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Intangible property: Property that has no intrinsic value, but is merely the evidence of value such as stock certificates, bonds, and promissory notes.
• Integrated health care: means care provided to individuals and their families in a patient centered primary care home or behavioral health home by licensed primary care clinicians, behavioral health clinicians and other care team members, working together to address one or more of the following:

  (A) Mental illness. See Oregon Statutes 414.025

• Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one party of an opposing party, who must answer them in writing under oath; a discovery device in a lawsuit.
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• Joint tenancy: A form of property ownership in which two or more parties hold an undivided interest in the same property that was conveyed under the same instrument at the same time. A joint tenant can sell his (her) interest but not dispose of it by will. Upon the death of a joint tenant, his (her) undivided interest is distributed among the surviving joint tenants.
• Judgment: means the concluding decision of a court on one or more requests for relief in one or more actions, as reflected in a judgment document. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Judgment document: means a writing in the form provided by ORS § 18. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• judicial department: means the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Oregon Tax Court, the circuit courts and all administrative divisions of those courts, whether denominated as boards, commissions, committees or departments or by any other designation. See Oregon Statutes 174.113
• 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.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Legatee: A beneficiary of a decedent
• Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Life estate: A property interest limited in duration to the life of the individual holding the interest (life tenant).
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• local government: means all cities, counties and local service districts located in this state, and all administrative subdivisions of those cities, counties and local service districts. See Oregon Statutes 174.116
• Medical assistance: includes any care or services for any individual who is a patient in a medical institution or any care or services for any individual who has attained 65 years of age or is under 22 years of age, and who is a patient in a private or public institution for mental diseases. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Money award: means a judgment or portion of a judgment that requires the payment of money. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• nonresident: means an individual who is not a resident of this state. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• other care team members: includes but is not limited to:

  (A) Qualified mental health professionals or qualified mental health associates meeting requirements adopted by the Oregon Health Authority by rule;

  (B) Peer wellness specialists;

  (C) Peer support specialists;

  (D) Community health workers who have completed a state-certified training program;

  (E) Personal health navigators; or

  (F) Other qualified individuals approved by the Oregon Health Authority. See Oregon Statutes 414.025

• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Patient centered primary care home: means a health care team or clinic that is organized in accordance with the standards established by the Oregon Health Authority under ORS § 414. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Peer support specialist: means any of the following individuals who meet qualification criteria adopted by the authority under ORS § 414. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Peer wellness specialist: means an individual who meets qualification criteria adopted by the authority under ORS § 414. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Person: means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, governmental subdivision or public or private organization of any character other than an agency. See Oregon Statutes 183.310
• Person: includes individuals, corporations, associations, firms, partnerships, limited liability companies and joint stock companies. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• person with a disability: means any person who:

  (a) Has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities;

  (b) Has a record of such an impairment; or

  (c) Is regarded as having such an impairment. See Oregon Statutes 174.107

• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Prepaid managed care health services organization: means a managed dental care, mental health or chemical dependency organization that contracts with the authority under ORS § 414. See Oregon Statutes 414.025
• Probate: Proving a will
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public assistance: means the following types of assistance:

  (a) Temporary assistance for needy families granted under ORS § 412. See Oregon Statutes 411.010

• public body: means state government bodies, local government bodies and special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.109
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Qualified funeral trust: has the meaning given that term in section 685 of the Internal Revenue Code. See Oregon Statutes 316.282
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• 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.
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Resident estate: means an estate of which the fiduciary is appointed by an Oregon court or the administration of which is carried on in Oregon. See Oregon Statutes 316.282
• Resident funeral trust: means a qualified funeral trust that, at the time of the initial funding of the trust:

  (A) Is required to be established under the laws of this state; or

  (B) Is established by a contract, the terms of which state that a service or merchandise is to be provided by a funeral home or cemetery located in this state. See Oregon Statutes 316.282

• Resident trust: means a trust, other than a qualified funeral trust, of which the fiduciary is a resident of Oregon or the administration of which is carried on in Oregon. See Oregon Statutes 316.282
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Rule: means any agency directive, standard, regulation or statement of general applicability that implements, interprets or prescribes law or policy, or describes the procedure or practice requirements of any agency. See Oregon Statutes 183.310
• Sentencing guidelines: A set of rules and principles established by the United States Sentencing Commission that trial judges use to determine the sentence for a convicted defendant. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Sexual orientation: means an individual's actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• state government: means the executive department, the judicial department and the legislative department. See Oregon Statutes 174.111
• State Treasury: includes those financial assets the lawful custody of which are vested in the State Treasurer and the office of the State Treasurer relating to the custody of those financial assets. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Supplemental judgment: means a judgment that may be rendered after a general judgment pursuant to a legal authority. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Support award: means a money award or agency order that requires the payment of child or spousal support. See Oregon Statutes 18.005
• Taxable income: means the taxable income as defined in subsection (a) or (b), section 63 of the Internal Revenue Code, with such additions, subtractions and adjustments as are prescribed by this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Tenancy by the entirety: A type of joint tenancy between husband and wife that is recognized in some States. Neither party can sever the joint tenancy relationship; when a spouse dies, the survivor acquires full title to the property.
• Tenancy in common: A type of property ownership in which two or more individuals have an undivided interest in property. At the death of one tenant in common, his (her) fractional percentage of ownership in the property passes to the decedent
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trial jury: A group of citizens who hear the evidence presented by both sides at trial and determine the facts in dispute. Federal criminal juries consist of 12 persons. Federal civil juries consist of six persons.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• United States: includes territories, outlying possessions and the District of Columbia. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• User fees: Fees charged to users of goods or services provided by the government. In levying or authorizing these fees, the legislature determines whether the revenue should go into the treasury or should be available to the agency providing the goods or services.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Violate: includes failure to comply. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.