LSAT vocabulary: Law and government passages

These show up in passages about courts, statutes, and policy debates. Know them cold and the densest paragraphs get easier.

All example sentences are original, written for this page. They are not from real LSAT passages.

The twelve words

statute

a written law passed by a legislature
"The new statute required landlords to give sixty days of notice."

precedent

an earlier decision used as a guide for later ones
"The lawyer argued the court should follow the precedent set in 1987."

jurisdiction

the authority of a court or government to act
"The case was dismissed because the court lacked jurisdiction over the dispute."

mandate

an official order or requirement
"The mandate required all agencies to publish their budgets online."

provision

a specific clause within a law or agreement
"One provision of the contract allowed either side to cancel with notice."

deter

to discourage an action through fear of consequences
"The fine was meant to deter companies from dumping waste."

ratify

to formally approve an agreement or amendment
"The Senate voted to ratify the treaty in the spring."

nullify

to make legally void; to cancel the effect of
"The court nullified the regulation, ruling it exceeded the agency's power."

doctrine

a set of principles held by a court, school, or government
"The passage traces a legal doctrine that shaped privacy law for decades."

dissent

a formal disagreement, especially by a judge
"The dissent argued the majority had misread the statute."

enact

to make into law
"The legislature enacted the reform after two years of debate."

tribunal

a court or body set up to decide disputes
"The tribunal heard testimony from both sides before ruling."

Self-check: fill in the word

Each sentence is missing one word from the list above. Guess first, then open the answer.

1. The court ruled it had no ____ over a dispute in another country.

   Show the answer

   jurisdiction

2. The losing side's lawyer wrote a sharp ____ criticizing the majority opinion.

   Show the answer

   dissent

3. A single ____ of the new law required weekly safety inspections.

   Show the answer

   provision

4. The governor refused to ____ the amendment, so it never took effect.

   Show the answer

   ratify

5. Higher penalties were introduced to ____ repeat offenses.

   Show the answer

   deter

6. The appeals court voted to ____ the lower court's ruling.

   Show the answer

   nullify