A more thorough explanation:

STARE IN JUDICIO

Stare in judicio (stair-ee in joo-dish-ee-oh) is a Latin term that means to appear before a tribunal as either a plaintiff or a defendant.

• John had to stare in judicio when he was sued for breach of contract.
• Mary decided to hire a lawyer to represent her when she had to stare in judicio as a defendant in a criminal case.

These examples illustrate the definition of stare in judicio as appearing before a tribunal as either a plaintiff or a defendant. In the first example, John is the defendant in a civil case, and in the second example, Mary is the defendant in a criminal case. Both of them have to appear before a tribunal to defend themselves against the charges brought against them.