Uphold - The appellate court agrees with the lower court decision and allows it to stand. See affirmed.⏎
Senior judge - A federal judge who, after attaining the requisite age and length of judicial experience, takes senior status, thus creating a vacancy among a court's active judges. A senior judge retains the judicial office and may cut back his or her workload by as much as 75 percent, but many opt to keep a larger caseload.⏎
Subpoena - A command, issued under a court's authority, to a witness to appear and give testimony.⏎
Subpoena duces tecum - A command to a witness to appear and produce documents.⏎
Standard of proof - Degree of proof required. In criminal cases, prosecutors must prove a defendant's guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt." The majority of civil lawsuits require proof "by a preponderance of the evidence" (50 percent plus), but in some the standard is higher and requires "clear and convincing" proof.⏎