Must the threat of harm be imminent or eminent for a plaintiff to have pre-enforcement standing?
Uses of Imminent:
- Imminent (adjective): Imminent is an adjective that refers to something about to happen very soon: “After their curt response to the cease-and-desist letter, a lawsuit was imminent.”
Uses of Eminent:
-
Eminent (adjective): Eminent is typically used as an adjective to describe someone who is well-known or distinguished within their field or profession: “The eminent expert lectured on astrophysics to a crowd of over 10,000.”
- Eminent Domain (legal term of art): Eminent Domain refers to the government’s power to take privately owned property for public uses if it pays just compensation: “Since the landowner refused to sell after several good-faith attempts, the State instituted condemnation proceedings through its eminent domain power.”
Rule: If you’re describing TIMING, you need imminent; if you’re describing REPUTATION, you need eminent.
- Mnemonic: Something IMPENDING that will happen IMMEDIATELY after is imminent. Someone who is highly ESTEEMED in their field is eminent.
Now as an eminent grammarian, these practice problems should be a breeze.
1