at issue

1. In question, under discussion; also, to be decided. For example, Who will pay for the refreshments was the point at issue . [Early 1800s]

2. In conflict, in disagreement, as in Physicians are still at issue over the appropriate use of hormone therapy . This usage, from legal terminology, was defined by Sir William Blackstone ( Commentaries on the Laws of England , 1768), who said that when a point is affirmed by one side and denied by the other, “they are then said to be at issue .”

Example Sentences

“Unlike a civil case, in which an individual’s negligence is at issue, criminal cases require proof of a person’s criminal intent,” David Roger, general counsel for the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, said in a statement to CNN.

From BBC

The network's VP of legal affairs told Trump's representation that “the interview was not doctored” and that the network “did not hide any part of the Vice President’s answer to the question at issue.”

From Salon

Last week, in a new court filing, Willis insisted that her original indictment did include “an abundance of context and factual allegations about the solicitations at issue, including when the requests were made, to whom the requests were made, and the manner in which the requests were made.”

From Slate

At issue was a technical dispute over the language used in permits issued by EPA.

From Los Angeles Times

At issue in that case were accusations that the chain ripped off customers at hundreds of its Vons, Safeway and Albertsons stores in California.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• debatable
• problematic
• unresolved
• unsettled