Latin Legal Terms: Assimilated vs. Foreign (Italics or Not)
Italics
Rulebase Summary
Lawyers frequently use Latin legal phrases because they have been tested and interpreted in courts over many years. Some Latin terms have been assimilated into English and are written WITHOUT italics or quotation marks (ad hoc, antebellum, bona fide, caveat emptor, circa, cum laude, de facto, de jure, ergo, et al., ex officio, fait accompli, fiat, habeas corpus, in extremis, in re, in toto, laches, magnum cum laude, mandamus, mea culpa, modus operandi, non compos mentis, non sequitur, per annum, per capita, per diem, per se, postmortem, prima facie, pro forma, pro tempore, quasi, quid pro quo, status quo, sub rosa, summa cum laude).
Other Latin terms have NOT been assimilated and SHOULD be italicized (or quoted if italics aren't available): a fortiori, a posteriori, a priori, ad infinitum, ad litem, ad valorem, amicus curiae, arguendo, assumpsit, casus belli, corpus delicti, corpus juris, de bene esse, de minimis, de novo, ex parte, ex post facto, ex rel., flagrante delicto, in absentia, in camera, in curia, in limine, in loco parentis, in personam, in rem, in situ, inter vivos, ipse dixit, ipso facto, mens rea, nisi, nolo contendere, nunc pro tunc, onus probandi, pendente lite, per stirpes, persona non grata, pro rata, pro se, pro tanto, quantum meruit, reductio ad absurdum, res gestae, res ipsa loquitur, res judicata, sic, sine die, sine qua non, stare decisis, sub judice, subpoena ad testificandum, subpoena duces tecum, sui generis, supra, ultra vires, verbatim et literatim, vis-à-vis, voir dire, vox populi, writ of certiorari.
Examples
A. The defendant filed a motion in limine to suppress the evidence, which was de facto a request.
A. The defendant filed a motion in limine to suppress the evidence, which was de facto a request.
'In limine' is not assimilated (italicize); 'de facto' is assimilated (no italics).
A. The court issued a writ of habeas corpus after a prima facie showing was made.
A. The court issued a writ of habeas corpus after a prima facie showing was made.
Both 'habeas corpus' and 'prima facie' are assimilated — no italics.
Transcript Notes
An unabridged dictionary like Webster's Third New International is invaluable because most Latin legal expressions can be found among the English entries. Black's Law Dictionary is another excellent source.
When in doubt about whether a term has been assimilated, it is better to use quotation marks or italics — it is easier to defend marking a term as foreign than failing to mark a term that should be marked. The list above is from Morson's and reflects the assimilation status as of the 2nd edition; usage may evolve.
See Rule 102 for the broader rule on italicizing foreign expressions.
Style Guide References (1)
Morson's