ultra vires
adverb or adjective
ul·tra vi·res ˌəl-trə-ˈvī-(ˌ)rēz 
: beyond the scope or in excess of legal power or authority
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web These are ultra vires, unenforcible, unlawful subpoenas, and that committee should never have been formed. 
ABC News, 5 June 2022 The Arkansas Supreme Court said a lawsuit against a state official for injunctive relief can overcome sovereign immunity if the suit adequately pleads the official acted illegally, unconstitutionally, or ultra vires. Stephen Simpson, Arkansas Online, 14 Apr. 2022 Courts have struck down USCIS’s interpretations and guidance as ultra vires to Congressional intent and have blocked efforts to enshrine these policies in regulation. . . . Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 13 Apr. 2022 An ultra vires act is one taken beyond an entity's legal authority. Lara Farrar, Arkansas Online, 25 Nov. 2021 Moreover, the Executive Order exceeds the President’s authority and is therefore ultra vires and void ab initio. Eriq Gardner, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2020 That strikes me as ultra vires; liberals can’t stir more poison into the pot. The Economist, 4 Dec. 2019 So these regulations are ultra vires and the courts should strike them down. WSJ, 11 Apr. 2018 The idea here is that if a corporation is behaving in a fashion that is deemed ultra vires, or exceeding its legal authority, the state must investigate. Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Magazine, 15 Feb. 2017 See More
ABC News, 5 June 2022 The Arkansas Supreme Court said a lawsuit against a state official for injunctive relief can overcome sovereign immunity if the suit adequately pleads the official acted illegally, unconstitutionally, or ultra vires. Stephen Simpson, Arkansas Online, 14 Apr. 2022 Courts have struck down USCIS’s interpretations and guidance as ultra vires to Congressional intent and have blocked efforts to enshrine these policies in regulation. . . . Stuart Anderson, Forbes, 13 Apr. 2022 An ultra vires act is one taken beyond an entity's legal authority. Lara Farrar, Arkansas Online, 25 Nov. 2021 Moreover, the Executive Order exceeds the President’s authority and is therefore ultra vires and void ab initio. Eriq Gardner, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2020 That strikes me as ultra vires; liberals can’t stir more poison into the pot. The Economist, 4 Dec. 2019 So these regulations are ultra vires and the courts should strike them down. WSJ, 11 Apr. 2018 The idea here is that if a corporation is behaving in a fashion that is deemed ultra vires, or exceeding its legal authority, the state must investigate. Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Magazine, 15 Feb. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, literally, beyond power
First Known Use
1793, in the meaning defined above
Legal Definition
ultra vires
adverb or adjective
ul·tra vi·res ˈəl-trə-ˈvī-ˌrēz, ˈu̇l-trä-ˈvē-ˌrās
: beyond the scope or in excess of legal power or authority (as of a corporation)
the agency acted ultra vires
the agreement was ultra vires
compare intra vires - first public examination
- First Reader
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