''Ex rel.'' is an abbreviation of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

phrase "''ex relatione'' (meaning "

rising Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * Rising (Stargate Atlantis), "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction ...

out of the relation/narration

f the relator F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...

). The term is a legal phrase; the legal citation guide, the '' Bluebook'', describes ''ex rel.'' as a "procedural phrase" and requires using it to abbreviate "on the relation of", "for the use of", "on behalf of", and similar expressions. It is most commonly used when a

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...

brings a cause of action upon the request of a private party who has some interest in the matter. The private party is called the '' relator'' in such a case. The government acts on the basis of the narration or recounting (Latin ''relatione'') of the alleged facts by the relator. Governments typically accept applications and commence litigation for ''ex rel.'' actions only if the interest advanced by the private party is similar to the interest of the government. New York has a "

forever wild New York's Forest Preserve, comprises almost all the lands owned by the state of New York within the Adirondack and Catskill parks. It is managed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). , the Forest Preserve covers nearly ...

" constitutional article, which is enforceable by action of the New York State Attorney General or by any citizen ''ex rel.'' with the consent of the Appellate Division.N.Y. Const. ART XIV, § 5. Found a
New York State Assembly website
Retrieved February 23, 2012. The term can also be used when a relative or party in privity brings suit on another person's behalf. For example, the Terri Schiavo appeal to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point ...

was titled ''Schiavo ex rel. Schindler v. Schiavo''.

References

Latin legal terminology {{Latin-legal-phrase-stub