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Glite Dictionary
in causae

in causae

9.9
To refer to a specific court case in legal writing
  • idiom
  • Jargon
: en causa
  • Legal documents often include the phrase in causae to specify the case being discussed.

Examples

  • The lawyer submitted new evidence in causae Johnson v. State.

  • The judge referenced in causae Brown v. Board of Education during the hearing.

  • The judge ruled in causae of the defendant's appeal.

  • In the case of Smith v. Jones, the court acted in causae to protect the rights of the plaintiff.

  • The judge referenced in causae Brown v. Board of Education during the hearing.

  • Legal documents often include the phrase in causae to specify the case being discussed.

  • The lawyer submitted new evidence in causae Johnson v. State.

Synonyms

in causa
vsin causae
  • Formal
9.9

To refer to a specific legal case or matter

is the same in meaning but appears as a different written form

Surface Forms

in causae main

Morphology

in + causae

The phrase is composed of the English preposition 'in' plus the Latin noun form 'causae' (genitive of causa, meaning 'cause/case/matter'), so the literal composition yields 'in the cause/case' which corresponds to 'in the matter of'. However, because it is a Latin legal formula using an inflected foreign form and is a technical legal usage rather than a standard English compositional pattern, a B1 learner would only partially infer the exact legal sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

In causae comes from old Latin used by judges; in means 'in' and causae means 'case'. So it literally meant 'in the case of' and was used to name a single court case, which is why today it means 'in the matter of'.