Abdicate

What does Abdicate mean in American Law?

The definition of Abdicate in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

To give up, or relinquish, a position of (usually high) responsibility and status before the expiration of the normal term. Its use is today normally

confined to acts of reigning monarchs, but it is sometimes used of other high officials, though with some irony, e.g., Richard Nixon’s “abdication.”

Abdicate may also be used to refer by extension to a failure or refusal to carry out a responsibility, e.g., “He abdicated his duty to care for the child.”