The courts
lawsuit
A dispute brought to court for decision. Litigation is the process of conducting one, from complaint through discovery, trial, and appeal.
In full
A lawsuit starts when a plaintiff files a complaint and the court has jurisdiction to hear it. Most never reach trial: they are dismissed, decided on summary judgment, or settled. Filing is public, and the docket is the record of everything that happened, which is why court filings are among the most useful primary sources available.
Also written as: litigation, suit
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.