Ex parte

Okay kiddo, so imagine you and your sibling have a disagreement and you want to talk to your mom about it. Normally, your mom will talk to both of you and try to figure out what happened, right? But sometimes there might be a really important reason why you need to talk to your mom all by yourself, without your sibling there. That's when you have an ex parte conversation with your mom.

Ex parte is a fancy Latin word that means "from one side only". In legal terms, it means that someone is talking to a judge or court all by themselves, without the other side being there. This usually happens when something is really urgent or important and can't wait for both sides to be there.

For example, let's say your mom needs to get a restraining order against someone who is hurting her. She can't wait for that person to be in court with her, so she might have an ex parte hearing where she talks to the judge all by herself. The judge will listen to her side of the story and make a decision based on what she says.

Ex parte is kind of like a backup plan when time is short or important things need to be taken care of fast. It's not always used, but when it is, it can be really helpful!