Habitual criminal law

Definition - Noun
: a law that imposes greater penalties if a convicted defendant has previously been convicted of one or more crimes
Some such laws have been challenged on the ground of violating the prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution or on the ground of being an ex post facto law.



Search Legal Dictionary


Based on Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law ©2001.
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.
http://www.m-w.com
Merriam-Webster

collateral estoppel

estoppel by judgment barring the relitigation of issues litigated by the same parties on a different cause of action


Terms & Conditions   Privacy   Copyright © 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.