Order To Show Cause at Legal Glossary

What is it? An order from a judge that directs a party to come to court and convince the judge why she shouldnt grant an action proposed by the other side or by the judge on her own (sua sponte). For example, in a divorce, at the request of one parent a judge might issue an order directing the other parent to appear in court on a particular date and time to show cause why the first parent should not be given sole physical custody of the children. Although it would seem that the person receiving an order to show cause is at a procedural disadvantage--she, after all, is the one who is told to come up with a convincing reason why the judge shouldnt order something--both sides normally have an equal chance to convince the judge to rule in their favor.

Law Definition Added By: Robert

Send To Friends!

If you'd like to send the Order To Show Cause definition to yourself or to your friends/colleagues, just enter the e-mail addresses in the boxes below -

We hope you now understand the meaning of Order To Show Cause. If you need any more information on this term, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Other Similar Legal Terms:

Law Terms FMLA is See Family and Medical Leave Act.

Law Terms guardianship is A legal relationship created by a court between a guardian and his ward--either a minor child or an incapacitated adult. The guardian has a legal right and duty to care for the ward. This may involve making personal decisions on his or her behalf, managing property or both. Guardianships of incapacitated adults are more typically called conservatorships .

Law Terms petitioner is A person who initiates a lawsuit. A synonym for plaintiff, used almost universally in some states and in others for certain types of lawsuits, most commonly divorce and other family law cases.

Law Terms trade name is The official name of a business, the one it uses on its letterhead and bank account when not dealing with consumers.

Law Terms net lease is A commercial real estate lease in which the tenant regularly pays not only for the space (as he does with a gross lease) but for a portion of the landlords operating costs as well. When all three of the usual costs--taxes, maintenance and insurance--are passed on, the arrangement is known as a triple net lease. Because these costs are variable and almost never decrease, a net lease favors the landlord. Accordingly, it may be possible for a tenant to bargain for a net lease with caps or ceilings, which limits the amount of rent the tenant must pay. For example, a net lease with caps may specify that an increase in taxes beyond a certain point (or any new taxes) will be paid by the landlord. The same kind of protection can be designed to cover increased insurance premiums and maintenance expenses.