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referendum

(Encyclopedia)referendum, referral of proposed laws or constitutional amendments to the electorate for final approval. This direct form of legislation, along with the initiative, was known in Greece and other early...

Ridge, Tom

(Encyclopedia)Ridge, Tom (Thomas Joseph Ridge), 1945–, U.S. politician and government official, first secretary of Homeland Security (2003–5), b. Munhall, Pa. A graduate of Harvard (1967) and the Dickinson Scho...

neutrality

(Encyclopedia)neutrality, in international law, status of a nation that refrains from participation in a war between other states and maintains an impartial attitude toward the belligerents. Neutrality is not to be...

agrarian laws

(Encyclopedia)agrarian laws, in ancient Rome, the laws regulating the disposition of public lands (ager publicus). It was the practice of Rome to confiscate part of the land of conquered cities and states, and this...

discovery

(Encyclopedia)discovery, in law: see procedure; evidence. ...

Green, Anna Katherine

(Encyclopedia)Green, Anna Katherine, 1846–1935, American detective-story writer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. Ripley Female College, Poultney, Vt., 1867. Of her many thrillers, characterized by logical construction a...

Leiden, University of

(Encyclopedia)Leiden, University of, at Leiden, the Netherlands; founded 1575 by William the Silent, Prince of Orange. It became a state institution in the 19th cent. It has faculties of theology, law, medicine, sc...

Strand

(Encyclopedia)Strand, street in London, England, roughly parallel with the Thames River, running from the Temple to Trafalgar Square. It is a street of law courts, hotels, theaters, and office buildings and is the ...

Birmingham University

(Encyclopedia)Birmingham University, at Birmingham, England; founded 1900. It has faculties of arts, science, engineering, medicine and dentistry, commerce and social science, law, and education and continuing stud...

fee

(Encyclopedia)fee, in property law: see property; tenure. ...