A. A law passed by a legislative body.
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to pronunciationLegal Definition -
A law passed by a legislative body, specifically legislation enacted by any lawmaking body including legislatures, administrative boards, and municipal courts. --The term act is interchangeable as a synonym.
Black's Law Dictionary Eight Edition 2004
Current Usage -
Last week, when we posted on the MySpace suicide case, GWU law professor Orin Kerr called the indictment’s legal theory “weak,” and “dangerous,” because it would imply that anytime someone violates the terms of service on a Website, as defendant Lori Drew did, they’re exposed to criminal prosecution. The 49 year-old Drew — under the guise of 16 year-old “Josh Evans” — struck up a flirtatious online relationship with Megan Meier, a 13-year old MySpace member, that lasted for several weeks. “Josh” told Megan she was “sexi” and made other sexually suggestive overtures. Then, “Josh” told Megan he was moving away and that the world would be a better place without her. After “Josh” broke off the relationship, Megan hanged herself in her bedroom.
Writing in the NLJ today, Nick Akerman, a Dorsey & Whitney partner, acknowledges that press reports “universally questioned the propriety of using the [Computer Fraud and Abuse Act] as the basis for this prosecution,” but that “all of these shoot-from-the-hip criticisms overlook the plain language of the statute and the well-established federal law interpreting it.” According to Akerman, the statute neatly fits the facts of this crime. Drew is charged with violating two sections CFAA which make it a felony if one “intentionally accesses a computer without authorization . . . , and thereby obtains . . . information from any protected computer if the conduct involved an interstate . . . communication” and “the offense was committed in furtherance of any . . . tortious act [in this case intentional infliction of emotional distress] in violation” of the laws of any state. Dan Slater, The Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2008.