lame-duck

Political jargon used to describe a person who has lost re-election for the seat they currently hold during the remaining days of their term or a political body during the interregnum period when the party will be losing control in the following session and is expected to achieve nothing in the remainder of the session.

It was first applied to Herbert Hoover during the four-month interregnum before president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as his successor. Ironically, the term lame-duck, which includes the ableist term lame was applied to Hoover, but Roosevelt was disabled.

Consider instead using descriptive language for this interval period instead of this political jargon.

Example: Since losing re-election, President Janes Johnson has been preparing their administration to leave office by instructing their team to work with President-elect Zane Zelda’s transition team. However, Johnson said they don’t want to simply be seen as a caretaker-President during this time, so they are continuing to push congress to pass healthcare legislation.

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lay, lie

Lay and lie are not interchangeable forms. Lay is a transitive verb and needs an object to act upon, whereas lie is an intransitive verb.

Even more simply put, lay is the action word. It takes a direct object. The past tense is laid, and the present tense is laying.

Examples using lay in the past tense:

• They laid the briefcase on the table. (laid works on the object briefcase)
• He laid out the arguments. (laid works on the object arguments)
• She laid the book on the stack. (laid works on the object book)
• They laid down hard truths. (laid works on the object hard truths)

Lie is the state of laying something or someone laying. It doesn’t take a direct object. Its past tense is lay. The past participle is lain. The present participle is lying.

Examples using lie in the past tense:

• The flowers lay on the grave.
• They lay on the bed.
• She lay on the grass.
• The book lay on the table.

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learning difference

The common term for the unique and individual ways a person might process, learn, and understand new information. A person may or may not have a learning disability or a learning disorder. At least one in five people has a learning difference. People who may experience a learning difference may be neurodivergent, people with an intellectual or developmental disability, people who have traumatic brain injuries, and other conditions.

OAJ suggests using the term learning difference in all references unless specifically referring to a learning disorder, a medical diagnosis, or a learning disability, a legal term, as defined by the IDEA.

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learning disability

In the United States, the term learning disability is a legal term employed by the Department of Education, the Americans with Disability Act, state governments, and other areas of the government. Schools use specific criteria to determine the need for educational accommodations or adjustments under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, also known as IDEA. Learning disability is defined by the IDEA Part B, Subpart D.

Use the term learning disability when speaking about the legal use of the term. In all other cases, the OAJ suggests using learning difference.

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learning disorder

A medical diagnosis listed as Specific Learning Disorder. In the DSM-5 and ICD-11, it merged three categories: dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. There are also speech and language learning disorders, such as stuttering or childhood apraxia (difficulty articulating) and nonverbal learning disorders. For more information, visit the Mayo Clinic’s informational web site on Specific Learning Disorders.

Only use the terms Specific Learning Disorder or learning disorder when speaking about the medical diagnosis of a learning disorder. Otherwise, OAJ suggests using learning difference.

See learning difference.

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legal citation

On first reference, full case name should be used for citing both pending legal cases and decided legal opinions before the judiciary. The proper style is to put the leading plaintiff then the lowercase letter V followed by a period to represent versus followed by the leading defendant. The entire case name is placed within the <cite> tag. On second reference, if the case is popularly known by either the name of the plaintiff or the defendant, it may be referred to as such. It is also placed within the <cite> tag .

Note: OAJ has followed standard American wire journalism style, and styled <cite> in CSS to put quotation marks around works cited. This includes court decisions.

Examples of first reference:

• <cite>Brown v. Board of Education</cite>, which would render as Brown v. Board of Education
• Sarah Keys v. Carolina Coach Company
• Ableman v. Booth
• Griswold v. Connecticut

Examples of second reference:

• <cite>Rowley</cite>, which would render as Rowley — a commonly used shorthand for Board of Education v. Rowley
• Miranda — a commonly used shorthand for Miranda v. Arizona
• Tinker — a commonly used shorthand for Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District
• Dobbs — a commonly used shorthand for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
• Obergefell — a commonly used shorthand for Obergefell v. Hodges

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LGBTQ+

Stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, but includes those who question their sexual orientation or gender identities, and other sexual minorities. It is the most widely inclusive and a well-known acronym for the community.

Although LGBTQ+ is followed by a plus sign, remember that the plus sign is not always read by screen readers. It is therefore important to include the <abbr> tag. Because the acronym and the concept the acronym stands for is better known than the individual words from which the acronym is made, give the letters individually and spell out the word plus in the <abbr> tag.

Example: <abbr title="L G B T Q plus">LGBTQ+</abbr>

From the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Stylebook:

Acceptable in all references for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, and other sexual and gender minorities.

It may be tempting for journalists to refer to the LGBTQ+ community. In reality, it is a broad and sometimes loosely bound group of communities comprising people from all races, religions, cultures and walks of life. Referring to LGBTQ+ people is usually more accurate than defining it as one community.

There is not universal agreement on a name. LGBT leaves out many people who identity in ways that may be similar to but not the same as lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.

Some alternatives exist but may be less inclusive, more cumbersome or unfamiliar to general audiences and could require explanation. LGBTQ includes people who identify as queer or who are questioning their sexual orientation; LGBTQIA includes intersex, asexual and agender people; LGBTQIA2S+ specifically includes two-spirits and other sexual and gender minorities. Additionally, the order of the initials can be symbolic. Leading with L recognizes the women who have historically been overlooked or maligned. The Canadian government uses 2SLGBTQI+ to honor the two-spirit people who came first.

Writers and organizations should decide for themselves, based on their audience and intent, whether more or less specificity is needed.

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libel

Any published form of defamation, including books, magazines, newspapers, social media, websites, and other publications.

Also see slander.

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linguistic absolutism

Words and phrases such as always, never, everyone, and no one are not only generalizations and vague, but they imply an absolute standard or practice in a single word or phrase. Be specific in language and avoid these terms.

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living wage

The per hour amount a full-time worker must earn to cover the basic costs associated with the minimum basic needs for the number of people in their family in the area they live. According to the Living Wage Institute at MIT, there are eight basic needs making up a family budget that affect the living wage of each person:

• food;
• childcare;
• health care;
• housing;
• transportation;
• civic engagement;
• broadband;
• and other necessities.

The Living Wage Institute uses a formula to then calculate the living wage for each community. The living wage equals: basic needs plus income and payroll taxes divided by number of working adults in the household divided by number of hours worked in the year.

In March 2024, the International Labour Organization also adopted a definition of living wage: the wage level that is necessary to afford a decent standard of living for workers and their families, taking into account the country circumstances and calculated for the work performed during the normal hours of work; calculated in accordance with the ILO’s principles of estimating the living wage; to be achieved through the wage-setting process in line with ILO principles on wage setting.

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