American English · C1 · Unit 7
Law and justice
Law and justice
By the end you can
- Discuss a legal case and what it means
- Argue about whether something is fair
- Understand legal language in everyday texts
Words and phrases
| American English | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| the Supreme Court | the highest court in the US | The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. |
| ruled that | decided (said by a court) | The court ruled that the law was unconstitutional. |
| set a precedent | create an example that future cases follow | This case could set a precedent. |
| unconstitutional | against the US Constitution | Critics say the ban is unconstitutional. |
| the letter of the law | the exact words of a law (not its purpose) | It follows the letter of the law, not the spirit. |
| a loophole | a gap in a law that lets people avoid it | They found a loophole in the tax code. |
| a landmark case | a very important court case | Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark case. |
| due process | fair legal procedures that everyone has a right to | Everyone has the right to due process. |
| liable | legally responsible | The landlord is liable for the damage. |
| sue | take (a person or a company) to court | She decided to sue the company. |
| the terms and conditions | the rules of a contract or a service | Nobody reads the terms and conditions. |
| hereby | formal, legal: by this document | I hereby agree to the terms above. |
Then talk it through
Discussing a controversial Supreme Court decision with a friend in law school. In the app you have this conversation out loud or typed, with the unit's goals to tick off and corrections at the end.