Law Dictionary Definitions

black cap.A square cap worn by English judges on certain state or solemn occasions. • The black cap was formerly worn by judges when handing down a death sentence.[Blacks Law 8th]

Black Book of the Admiralty.English law. A medieval code of maritime law containing admiralty laws, ordinances, and proceedings, decisions, and acts of the monarch, the Lord High Admiral, and the Court of Admiralty. • The Black Book is considered a definitive source for customary English maritime law. It also contains a copy of the Rules of…

Black Book of the Exchequer.Hist. A record book containing treaties, conventions, charters, papal bulls, and other English state documents. • It dates from the 13th century. — Also termed Liber Niger Parvus.[Blacks Law 8th]

Black Acts.Scots law. Statutes of the Scottish Parliament passed from 1535 to 1594 and recorded in a book printed in black letter.[Blacks Law 8th]

Black Act.Hist. An English statute (9 Geo. ch. 22) establishing the death penalty for the unlawful killing or maiming of animals. • The statute was passed in 1722 in the wake of crimes committed by persons with faces blackened or otherwise disguised. The statute was repealed in 1827. The classic study of this law is…

Blackacre. A fictitious tract of land used in legal discourse (esp. law-school hypotheticals) to discuss real-property issues. • When another tract of land is needed in a hypothetical, it is often termed “Whiteacre.” “Blackacre is the most celebrated tract of land in the world of the law …. Blackacre is wholly mythical, yet totally real.…

B/L.abbr.BILL OF LADING.[Blacks Law 8th]

biz.Trademarks. A top-level domain name assigned by ICANN for use by businesses as distinct from individual, personal, or noncommercial use. See DOMAIN NAME; INTERNET CORPORATION FOR ASSIGNED NAMES AND NUMBERS.[Blacks Law 8th]

Bivens action. A lawsuit brought to redress a federal official’s violation of a constitutional right. Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, 403 U.S. 388, 91 S.Ct. 1999 (1971). • A Bivens action allows federal officials to be sued in a manner similar to that set forth at 42 USCA…

biting rule.A rule of construction that once a deed or will grants a fee simple, a later provision attempting to cut down, modify, or qualify the grant will be held void. [Cases: Deeds  124; Wills  601(2).C.J.S. Deeds § 245.][Blacks Law 8th]