Legal Definitions - pari materia, in

Definition: Pari materia, in means "in the same matter". It refers to laws or statutes that are related to the same subject.

For example, if there are two laws that deal with the same topic, they are considered to be in pari materia. This means that they can be interpreted together to resolve any inconsistencies or conflicts between them.

One example of this is when a judge is trying to interpret a new law that has been passed, but there is already an older law that deals with the same subject. The judge can look at the older law to help them understand the meaning of the new law.

Another example is when a state constitution has a provision that is similar to a provision in the US Constitution. The state provision can be interpreted in pari materia with the federal provision to help understand its meaning.

Related term: In pari materia