Prejudice
1: injury or detriment to one’s legal rights or claims (as from the action of another): as
a : substantial impairment of a defendant’s ability to defend
- the court found no prejudiceto the defendant by the lengthy delay in bringing charges
b : tendency for a decision on an improper basis (as past conduct) by a trier of fact
- whether an ex parte communication to a deliberating jury resulted in any reasonable possibility of prejudice to the defendant
- —National Law Journal
c : implied waiver of rights and privileges not explicitly retained
- District Court erred in attaching prejudice to prisoner’s complaint for injunctive relief
- —National Law Journal
2: a final and binding decision (as an adjudication on the merits) that bars further prosecution of the same cause of action or motion
- dismisses this case with prejudice
- the dismissal was without prejudice
3 a : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics
- the Constitution does not prohibit laws based on prejudice per se
- —R. H. Bork
b : an attitude or disposition (as of a judge) that prevents impartiality
- that the judge before whom the matter is pending has a personal bias or prejudice…against him
- —U.S. Code