NATIONAL PRIDE
natio n. [Latin] Hist. 1. A nation. 2. A group of students. 3. A native place.
NATION n. (14c) 1. A large group of people having a common origin, language, and tradition usu. constituting a political entity. When a nation is coincident with a state, a term nation-state is often used. Also termed nationality.
NATIONAL adj.(16c) 1. Of, relating to, or involving a country <national anthem>. 2. Nationwide in scope <national emergency>.
NATIONAL n. (17c) 1. A member of a nation. 2. A person owing permanent allegiance to and under the protection of a state. 8 USCA S1101(a)(21).
NATIONAL OF THE UNITED STATES (1921). A citizen of the United States, or a non-citizen who owes permanent allegiance to the United States. 8 USCA S1101(a)(22).
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ACT. A 1958 federal statute that created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 42 USCA SS2451-2484.
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION. The independent federal agency that conducts research into space flight, and that builds and flies space vehicles. NASA was created by the national aeronautics and space act of 1958. 42 USCA S2451-2484.
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE. An agency in the US Department of Agriculture responsible for compiling statistical information and estimating agriculture production, supply, price, chemical use, and other related statistics. Most of the data come from farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses.
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION. An independent federal agency that sets procedures for preserving governmental records that are important for legal and historical reasons; helps federal agencies manage their records; provides record-storage access; and manages the Presidential Libraries system. The agency, run by the Archivist of the United States, retains only a small percentage of the federal records produced each year. It publishes the United States Statutes at Large, the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, the weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, the annual Public Papers of the President, and the United States Government Manual. It is a successor to the National Archives Establishment, created in 1934, that was made a unit of the General Services Administration in 1949. It became an independent agency in 1984. See Federal Register.
NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION. A professional association of Asian Pacific American attorneys, judges, law professors, and law students, emphasizing civil rights and immigration issues.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY. Hist. In France, the first of the revolutionary assemblies, existing from 1789 to 1791. Its chief work was the formation of the constitution, as a result of which it was also known as the "Constituent Assembly." The legislatures organized in France in 1848 (after the February Revolution) and in 1781 (after the overthrow of the second empire) were also known as National Assemblies. Cf. LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (4).
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE. An organization that strives to ensure equal political, educational, social, economic rights for black Americans and others, with a special focus on eliminating race-based discrimination. Founded in 1909, the NAACP uses primarily the legal system and public awareness to further its goals.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS. An association of real-estate brokers and agents promoting education, professional standards, and modernization in areas of real estate, such as brokerage, appraisal, and property management.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECURITIES DEALERS. Formerly, a group of brokers and dealers that was empowered by the SEC to regulate the over-the-counter securities market. The association merged in 2007 with the regulatory committee of the New York Stock Exchange to form the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SECURITIES DEALERS AUTOMATED QUOTATIONS. A computerized system for recording transactions and displaying price quotations for a group of actively traded securities on the over-the-counter market. Abbr. NASDAQ.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN LAWYERS. An organization, formed in 1899, devoted to the interests of female lawyers and their families.
NATIONAL BANK. See BANK.
NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION. An organization of primarily African-American lawyers, founded in 1925 to promote education, professionalism, and the protection of civil rights.
NATIONAL CAPITAL PLANNING COMMISSION. A 12-member federal commission that plans the development of federal lands and facilities in the National Capital region, an area that includes the District of Columbia and six nearby counties - two in Maryland and four in Virgina. The Commission was originally established as the National Capital Park Commission, a park-planning agency, in 1924.
NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION. The District of Columbia and six nearby counties: Montgomery and Prince George's in Maryland, and Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, and Arlington in Virginia.
NATIONAL CEMETERY ADMINISTRATION. Unit in the US Department of Veterans Affairs responsible for operating national cemeteries, providing headstones for unmarked graves of veterans worldwide, and making grants to states for establishing and caring for veterans' cemeteries.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF BLACK LAWYERS. An organization of African-American attorneys formed in 1969, active, especially in civil rights.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMISSIONERS ON UNIFORM STATE LAWS. An organization that drafts and proposes statutes for adoption by individual states with the goal of making the laws on various subjects uniform among the states. Founded in 1892 and composed of representatives from all 50 states, the conference has drafted more than 200 uniform laws, including the Uniform Commercial Code. In 2007, the Conference adopted an informal name for itself: the Uniform Law Commission. Also termed Uniform Law Commissioners. See UNIFORM LAW COMMISSION; UNIFORM ACT; MODEL ACT; UNIFORM LAW.
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JUVENILE AND FAMILY COURT JUDGES. An organization of judges and hearing officers who exercise jurisdiction over abuse, neglect, divorce, custody and visitation, support, domestic-violence, and other family-law cases. Founded in 1937, the Council has an educational and support facility located near Reno, Nevada. It provides training, technical support, and professional assistance on improving court room operations.
NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION. An independent federal agency that charters, insures, supervisors, and examines federal credit unions; administers the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund and the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund; and manages the Central Liquidity Facility, a separate mixed ownership government corporation that supplies emergency loans to member credit unions. The agency was established in 1970 and re-organize in 1978.
NATIONAL DEBT (18c). The total amount owed by the government of a country; esp., the total financial obligation of the federal government including such instruments as Treasury bills, notes, and bonds, as well as foreign debt.
NATIONAL DEFENSE (18c). 1. All measures taken by a country to protect itself against its enemies. A countries protection of its collective ideals and values is included in the concept of national defense. 2. A country's military establishment.
NATIONAL DISASTER MEDICAL SYSTEM. A unit of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the US Department of Homeland Security responsible for training, equipping, and applying teams of emergency medical responders and for coordinating the transportation of people affected by emergencies. The agency was transferred from the US Department of Health and Human Services in 2003.
NATIONAL EMERGENCY (18c). A state of national crisis or a situation requiring immediate and extraordinary national action.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS. An independent federal agency that promotes involvement in the arts by making grants to organizations, honoring artists for their achievements, expanding artistic resources, preserving cultural heritage, and funding projects that educate children and adults in the yards.
NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES. An independent federal agency that supports research, education, and public programs in the humanities through grants to individuals, groups, and institutions.
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT. A 1969 federal statute establishing US environmental policy. The statute requires federal agencies to submit an environmental-impact statement with every proposal for a program or law that would affect the environment. 42 USCA SS 4321-4347.
NATIONAL FIREARMS ACT. A 1934 federal statute that governs the manufacturer, possession, and transfer of certain types of firearms and other weapons. In its original form the act banned gangster type weapons such as machine guns and sawn-off shotguns. It has been expanded by the amendments to cover most rifles and handguns, and also "destructive devices" such as grenades and land mines. 26 USCA SS 5801 ease.
NATIONAL FOUNDATION ON THE ARTS AND THE HUMANITIES. An independent federal foundation that encourages and supports progress in the humanities and the arts by supporting the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The agency was created by act of Congress in 1965.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT (17c). The government of an entire country as distinguished from that of a province, state, subdivision, or territory of the country and as distinguished from an international organization. See federal government under government.
NATIONAL GUARD. 1. The US militia, which is maintained as a reserve for the US Army and Air Force. Its members are volunteers, recruited and trained on a statewide basis and equipped by the federal government. A state may request the National Guard's assistance in quelling disturbances, and the federal government may order the National Guard into active service in times of war or other national emergency. See MILITIA. 2. Any military establishment that serves as a country-wide constabulary and defense force.
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. A unit in the US Department of Transportation responsible for regulating the safety of motor vehicles and their equipment. The agency's work focuses on matters such as theft prevention, speed limits, truthful odometer readings, and fuel consumption. It was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970. 23 USCA SS 101 et seq.
NATIONAL IMAGING AND MAPPING AGENCY. A unit in the US Department of Defense responsible for providing the armed forces and intelligence officers with up-to-date and accurate geospatial information, esp. in the form of photographs, maps, and charts.
NATIONAL INCOME (18c). The collective earnings from a nation's current production, including all individuals compensation, interest, rental income, and after-tax profits.
NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION. A nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the economic, social, and political welfare of American Indian peoples, and to protecting tribes that remain self-sufficient through gaming enterprises. NIGA works with the federal government to develop and implement gaming policies and practices.
NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION. Independent federal agency established to regulate and maintain the integrity of gaming activities on Indian lands by promoting tribal economic development and self-sufficiency and by ensuring that the tribes receive the primary benefits of the gaining activities. The Commission was created by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 as a unit of the US department of the Interior.
NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RECOVERY ACT. A 1933 federal statute - a centerpiece of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal - providing for temporary federal control of industry, as by establishing codes of fair practices for trade unions and collective bargaining, abolishing child labor, and developing public works as a means of creating employment. In 1935, the US Supreme Court unanimously held Title I of the statute unconstitutional in A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp v. U.S., 295 U.S. 495, 55 S.Ct. 837 (1935).
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY. A federally aided institute that leads national efforts to achieve universal literacy.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CORRECTIONS. A federal organization (established within the Bureau of Prisons) whose responsibilities include helping federal, state, and local authorities improve correctional programs, conducting research on correctional issues such as crime prevention, and conducting workshops for law-enforcement personnel, social workers, judges, and others involved in treating and rehabilitating offenders. 18 USCA SS 4351-4353.
NATIONALISM, n. 1. Devotion to a whole country, rather than to certain sections of it. 2. The desire for national independence and home rule; specifically. the reified urge of a group of people of the same race, origin, language, etc. to form an independent country. See HOME RULE. 3. The advocacy of greater centralization and broadening of federal power in order to deal more effectively with the concentration of corporate wealth. 4. A late form of Socialism claiming that all industry must be conducted by the government on the basis of a common obligation to work and a general guarantee of livelihood, all workers being entitled to the same pay.
NATIONALITY (17c). 1. NATION. 2. The relationship between a citizen of a country in the country itself, customarily involving allegiance by the Citizen, and protection by the state; membership in a country. This term is often used synonymously with citizenship. See CITIZENSHIP. 3. The formal relationship between a ship and the country under whose flag the ship sails. See FLAG STATE.
NATIONALITY THEORY (1878). The jurisdictional principle that citizens are subject to the laws of their country, no matter where the citizens are.
NATIONALIZATION, n. (1847) 1. The act of bringing an industry under governmental control or ownership. 2. The act of giving a person the status of a citizen; NATURALIZATION.
NATIONALIZE, vb. (1809) 1. To bring (an industry) under governmental control or ownership. 2. To give a person the status of a citizen; NATURALIZE.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT. Federal statute regulating the relations between employers and employees and establishing the National Labor Relations Board. 29 USCA SS 151-169. The statute is also known as the Wagner Act of 1935. It was amended by the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and the Landrum-Griffin Act of 1959.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD. An independent five-member federal board created to prevent and remedy unfair labor practices and to safeguard employees' rights to organize into labor unions. The board hears complaints of unfair labor practices and issues orders that can be reviewed or enforced by the US Court of Appeals. The agency was created by the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. 29 USCA SS 153.
NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD. An independent federal board that mediates labor-management dispute in the Airline and Railroad industries and provides administrative and financial support in adjusting grievances in the railroad industry. The agency was created by the Railway Labor Act of 1934 to prevent interruptions in service. 45 USCA SS 154-163.
NATIONAL MONUMENT. A building, landmark, wilderness area, special feature of the land, archaeological site, etc. that is kept and protected by a country's government for people to visit; specif., an object or structure and the land on which it is situated, publicly proclaimed by the US President to be of cultural, historic, or scientific interest. See 16 USCA S 341.
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION. A unit in the US Department of Commerce responsible for monitoring the environment in order to make accurate and timely weather forecast and to protect life, property, and the environment. It was established in 1970 under Reorganization Plan No.4 of 1970 and operates through several agencies: the National Weather Service (NWS); the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS); the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS); the National Oceanic Service (NOS); and the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR). It also maintains a fleet of ships and aircraft for research. Abbr. NOAA.
NATIONAL ORGAN TRANSPLANT ACT. A 1984 Federal Law banning the sale of human organs. 42 USCA SS 273-274.
NATIONAL ORIGIN (1880). The country in which a person was born, or from which the person's ancestors came. This term is used in several anti-discrimination statutes, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination because of an individual's "race, color, religion, sex, or national origin." 42 USCA s 2000e-2.
NATIONAL PARK (1868). A scenic, natural, historic, and recreational area owned by the United States and set aside for permanent protection. Yellowstone National Park was declared the first national park in 1872. See 16 USCA S 1a-1.
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. A unit in the US Department of the Interior responsible for managing the country's national parks, monuments, scenic parkways, preserves, trails, river ways, seashores, lakeshores, recreational areas, and historic sites commemorating movements, events, and personalities of America's past. The Service was established in 1916. 16 USCA S 1.
NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST. Environmental law. The Environmental Protection Agency's list of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites that are identified for possible long-term remediation as Superfund sites. 40 CFR S 35.6015.
NATIONAL QUOTATION BUREAU. A company that publishes daily price quotations (pink sheets) of over-the-counter securities.
NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION. A federally chartered corporation created by the Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970 to provide intercity rail passenger service. The corporation owns or leases railroad stations and operates passenger trains over tracks that are almost entirely owned by others. Usually termed Amtrak.
NATIONAL REPORTER SYSTEM. A series of law books published by the West Group containing every published appellate decision of the federal and state courts in the United States. For federal courts, the system includes the Supreme Court Reporter, Federal Reporter, Federal Claims Reporter, Federal Supplement, Federal Rules Decisions, Bankruptcy Reporter, Military Justice Reporter, and Veterans Appeals Reporter. For state courts, the system includes the Atlantic Reporter, California Reporter, New York Supplement, Northeastern Reporter, Northwestern Reporter, Pacific Reporter, Southeastern Reporter, Southern Reporter, and Southwestern Reporter.
NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER. Environmental law. A nationwide communication center located in Washington DC, responsible for receiving, and relaying to appropriate federal officials all notices of oil discharges and other releases of hazardous substances. 40 CFR S 310.11.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. An independent federal foundation, that promotes progress in science and engineering through grants, contracts, and other agreements, awarded to universities, colleges, academic consortia, and nonprofit and small business institutions. It was created by the national science, foundation act of 1950.
NATIONAL SEASHORE (1962). An area abutting a seacoast and maintained by a country's government for recreational purposes.
NATIONAL SECURITY (18c). The safety of a country and its governmental secrets, together with the strength and integrity of its military, seen as being necessary to the protection of its citizens.
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY. Unit in the US Department of Defense responsible for protecting US information systems as well as producing foreign intelligence information. The agency uses code makers and code breakers.
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL. An agency in the Executive Office of the President responsible for advising the President on national-security matters. It was created by the National Security Act of 1947. 50 USCA S 402.
NATIONAL-SECURITY LETTER (1994). A document that is issued by an FBI official, or by a senior official of another federal agency, and that functions as a subpoena requiring the recipient, usually a business, to turnover specific business documents. The Department of Justice provides guidelines for the issuance of a national-security letter, which is not typically reviewed by a court or magistrate. Federal law prohibits the letters recipient from disclosing the existence of the letter, except to an attorney. One use of the directives has been to allow Internet service providers to confidentially disclose user information upon certification that records are relevant to an investigation of terrorism or to clandestine intelligence activities. See 18 USCA S 2709.
NATIONAL STOLEN PROPERTY ACT. A federal statute that makes it a crime to transport, transmit, or transfer in interstate or foreign commerce goods or money worth $5,000 or more if the person knows that the money or goods were obtained unlawfully. 18 USCA SS 2311 et seq.
NATIONAL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE FOR THE DEAF. A federally aided institute located in Rochester, New York, responsible for educating large numbers of death students on a college campus designed primarily for students who can hear. Established by Congress in 1965, the institute is a part of the Rochester Institute for Technology.
NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION. A unit in the US Department of Commerce responsible for advising the President on telecommunications and information policy; conducting research through its Institute for Telecommunications Sciences; and making grants to support advanced infrastructures and to increase ownership by women and minorities.
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD. An independent five-member federal board that investigates air, rail, water, highway, pipeline, and hazardous-waste accidents; conducts studies; and makes recommendations to government agencies, the transportation industry, and others on safety measures and practices. The agency was created in 1966. 49 USCA S 1101-1155.
NATIONAL TREATMENT (1886). Intellectual property. The policy or practice of a country that accords the citizens of other countries the same intellectual property protection as it gives its own citizens, no formal treaty of reciprocity being in place. The principle of national treatment underlay the first international intellectual property treaties in the 19th century, the Paris and Berne Conventions. It is also embodied in the TRIPs agreement.
NATIONAL-TREATMENT CLAUSE. A provision contained in some treaties, usually commercial ones, according foreigners the same rights, in certain respects, as those accorded to nationals.
NATIONHOOD (1843). 1. National character. 2. National status; the quality, state, or condition of being a nation, whereby a legal relationship exist between the individual, who owns allegiance, and the state, which owes protection. 3. Political independence or existence as a discrete sovereign political state.
NATION-STATE (1895). 1. A country that contains one as opposed to several nationalities. 2. Type of political organization under which relatively homogeneous people populate a country. 3. Hist. Any one of several European countries, such as England, France, or Spain, that between 1500 and 1900 developed a compact, independent government from the small or weak feudal units of the Middle Ages.
