mandamus
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
Etymology
Origin of mandamus
From the Latin word mandāmus we command
Explanation
A mandamus is an order passed down from a court requiring that an official perform some particular function as an absolute duty. If a public official tries to do his job in whatever way he sees fit, a court might issue a mandamus, telling him, "This is your duty — do it. Or else." Say you're a dogcatcher and you've been looking the other way while Tootles runs free, digging up flower beds. A court might issue a writ of mandamus ordering you to put Tootles in the pound. It's no longer up to you — it's time to bring Tootles in.
Vocabulary lists containing mandamus
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
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United States v. Nixon (1974)
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This Week In Words: July 25–31, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
According to Cornell Law School, a Writ of Mandamus is a court order for a government official to "properly fulfill their official duties or correct an abuse of discretion."
From Fox News • Jan. 25, 2022
“The answer is no. Mandamus is an extraordinary remedy that should be denied where the district court has not actually decided anything.”
From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2020
In case after case, the courts have confirmed another vital rule: Mandamus is appropriate only in exceptionally rare instances when a district court made an egregious and irredeemable mistake.
From Slate • Aug. 7, 2019
Mandamus is a rare device that the Supreme Court has allowed only in “drastic and extraordinary” circumstances.
From Slate • Aug. 7, 2019
On September 2, 1774, while the mob were assembled on Cambridge Common to receive the resignations of Danforth, Lee, and Oliver as Mandamus Councillors, Hallowell passed on his way to Roxbury.
From The Loyalists of Massachusetts And the Other Side of the American Revolution by Stark, James H.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
