Emancipation of a minor

What emancipation of a minor means

In short, emancipation of a minor is a term you will meet in court papers, rules and legal research. The definition above gives its usual meaning in American civil practice. However, the exact meaning can depend on the rule, statute or court decision that uses it. So it helps to read the term in context.

Where emancipation of a minor comes up

The term is used across many kinds of cases. For example, you may see it in pleadings, motions and court orders. To see it in context, browse the motions and procedures library or the Learn the Law topics.

How to research the term

To research emancipation of a minor, begin with the rule, statute or contract where the word is used. Each one can give it a slightly different meaning. Then compare that text with how courts in your area have applied it. Also check the local rules of your court, since they can add requirements. If your case is in state court, the state rules control. So start with our state procedures guide to find them. In the end, always confirm that the source you rely on is current.

You can read the current federal court rules online for free.

Related legal terms

• Driver's license: a state-issued license that permits a person to drive a motor vehicle on public roads. Every state requires one. Courts have long upheld state licensing and registration laws for drivers, for example in Hendrick v. Maryland, 235 U.S. 610 (1915).
• Due process: the constitutional guarantee that the government will not deprive a person of life, liberty or property without fair procedures. It appears in the Fifth Amendment for the federal government and the Fourteenth Amendment for the states. At a minimum, it usually requires notice and an opportunity to be heard.
• Duty: a legal obligation to act, or not act, in a certain way.
• Ejusdem generis: latin for "of the same kind." The canon that "where general words follow specific words in a statutory enumeration, the general words are [usually] construed to embrace only objects similar in nature to those objects enumerated by the preceding specific words" (Yates v.

Why precise terms matter

Courts read legal terms closely. As a result, knowing the exact meaning of a word helps you follow orders, rules and filings. Each glossary entry on Lawtopolis is short on purpose and links to the pages where the term is used.