Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
An abbreviation used in legal citations to denote a statute or a numbered section of a statute.
Sources & Authorities· 24 primary sources
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Statutes
Uniform Acts
How it applies
Common Examples
6
Custody Order Binds Served Parent
Seth Shapiro received proper service of a child-custody order issued by a court with jurisdiction under the Act. He participated in the hearing and raised every available defense. The order, cited as UCCJEA S. 106, conclusively resolved all issues of law and fact between the parties.
Appreciation Remains Individual Property
Samantha Stone inherited farmland before marriage. Its value rose sharply during the marriage solely because of market forces. The increase stayed her individual property under UMPA S. 4(g)(3).
Sebastian Santos, a partner in a dissolved firm, signed a contract with a client who had no notice of the dissolution. The transaction was one the partnership would have authorized before dissolution. The partnership therefore remained bound under UPA S. 804(a)(2).
Force Justified Without Prior Request
Spencer Silver saw a trespasser damaging his fence. He reasonably believed that asking the trespasser to stop would expose him to serious injury. Spencer used reasonable force to protect the property without first issuing a request under MPC S. 3.06(3)(a).
Creditor Barred from Levying on Partner
Simon Stern obtained a judgment against a limited partnership. He attempted to execute directly against the personal assets of a general partner who was not personally liable for the claim. The court denied the levy under ULPA S. 405(c).
Issue-by-Issue Choice of Law Applied
Solomon Silver sued over a land transfer involving parties domiciled in another state. The court applied forum rules to service and pleading issues while selecting the foreign state's law for capacity to convey. The selective approach followed R2d Conflict S. 222(d).
Common questions
Frequently Asked
3
What does the abbreviation S. stand for in a legal citation?+
The abbreviation S. denotes a statute or a numbered section of a statute.
Supporting sources
How is S. distinguished from other citation abbreviations?+
S. specifically signals a statute or section while other abbreviations such as § may be used interchangeably for section in some contexts.
Supporting sources
Does S. ever refer to the Senate in citations?+
When capitalized and used alone, S. may refer to the Senate, but in statutory citations it almost always means statute or section.
Supporting sources
5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803)Property
…of King's Bench has the power because it is the supreme court of judicature, shall this court be denied that power? The second section of the third article of the Constitution gives this court appellate jurisdiction in all cases in law and equity arising under the Constitution and laws of the United States (except the…