SCOFFLAW; Nassau County, NY: Driver’s license is suspended indefinitely.

Sealing of Records: The sealing of records, permitted in some states with respect to youthful offenders, so that only the court may examine such records.

Search and Seizure: A police practice whereby a person or place is searched and evidence useful in the investigation and prosecution of the crime is seized. The search and seizure is constitutionally limited by the Fourth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and by provisions in several state constitutions, statutes and rules of court.

Secreting Lien Property: Hiding property that has a lien filed against it.

Sedition: Advocating the overthrow or reform of a government by unlawful means.

Sentence: A judgment of punishment for a criminal act.

Separation: A partial divorce decree usually entered in the course of divorce proceedings, which directs the parties to live separately but does not dissolve the marriage.

Serious Misdemeanor: Having a more severe penalty than other misdemeanors.

Sex Offender: A person convicted of a sexual offense.

Slander: Defamation verbal communication. Making false and malicious statements about another.

Social Security Number: A nine digit number resembling “123-00-1234” that is issued to an individual by the U.S. Social Security Administration. The original purpose of this number was to administer the Social Security program, but it has come to be used as a “primary key” (a de facto national ID number) for individuals within the United States. The nine digit Social Security number is divided into three parts. The first three digits are the area number. Prior to 1973, the area number reflected the state in which an individual applied for a Social Security number. Since 1973, the first three digits of a Social Security number are determined by the ZIP code of the mailing address shown on the application for a Social Security number. The middle two digits are the group number. They have no special geographic or data significance but merely serve to break the number into conveniently sized blocks for orderly issuance. The last four digits are serial numbers. They represent a straight numerical sequence of digits from 0001-9999 within the group.

Solicitation: Asking, urging, enticing.

Status Closed: No further action will occur on this case; cannot be reopened at a later date.

Statute of Limitations: “any law which fixes the time within which parties must take judicial action to enforce rights or else be thereafter barred from enforcing them,” 116 S.E. 2d 654, 657.

Statutory Rape: Sexual activity by an adult with a person under the age of consent. Age of consent varies from state to state.

Stay of Execution: Process whereby a judgment is precluded from being executed for a specific period of time.

Stay: A halt in the judicial proceedings where, by its order, the court will not take further action until the occurrence of some event.

STET; Maryland: A conditional stay of all further proceedings for a period of one year.

Stricken: To eliminate or expunge.

Stricken Off Call/With Leave to Reinstate (SOL) (Stricken); Cook County, IL: The judge removes the case from the docket while reserving the right to recall or reinstate it at t alter date.

Superior Court: A court whose decision is subject to review by another court. Superior Court is the name used in 16 states for the basic county trial court.

Suspended Sentence: Deferment of punishment usually over a period of probation.