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rap,n. Slang. 1. Legal responsibility for a criminal act <he took the rap for his accomplices>.2. A criminal charge <a murder rap>.3. A criminal conviction; esp., a prison sentence <a 20-year rap for counterfeiting>. [Blacks Law 8th]

ransom bill.Int’l law. A contract by which a vessel or other property captured at sea during wartime is ransomed in exchange for release and safe conduct to a friendly destination. — Also termed ransom bond. [Blacks Law 8th]

ransom,n.1. Money or other consideration demanded or paid for the release of a captured person or property. See KIDNAPPING. 2. The release of a captured person or property in exchange for payment of a demanded price. [Cases: Kidnapping 1. C.J.S. Kidnapping §§ 1–2.] ransom,vb.1. To obtain the release of (a captive) by paying a demanded…

rank-order voting.See preferential voting under VOTING. [Blacks Law 8th]

rank and file. 1. The enlisted soldiers of an armed force, as distinguished from the officers. 2. The general membership of a union. [Blacks Law 8th]

rank,n.1. A social or official position or standing, as in the armed forces < the rank of captain>. [Cases: Armed Services 8. C.J.S. Armed Services § 26.] 2.Parliamentary law. A motion’s relative precedence. See PRECEDENCE(3). [Blacks Law 8th]

ranger. 1.Hist. In England, an officer or keeper of a royal forest, appointed to patrol the forest, drive out stray animals, and prevent trespassing. 2. An officer or warden who patrols and supervises the care and preservation of a public park or forest. [Cases: Woods and Forests 7. C.J.S. Woods and Forests §§ 9–11, 14–15.]…

range,n. Land law. In U.S. government surveys, a strip of public land running due north to south, consisting of a row of townships, at six-mile intervals. — Abbr. R. [Cases: Public Lands C.J.S. Public Lands § 32.] [Blacks Law 8th]

R and D.abbr.RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. [Blacks Law 8th]

Ramseyer rule.A rule of the U.S. House of Representatives requiring any committee reporting a bill that amends legislation in force to show in its report what wording the bill would strike from or insert into the current law. • The rule is named for Representative C. William Ramseyer (1875–1943) of Iowa, who proposed it. The…