phrase
Latin
De Jure
lit. “from the law”
'According to law' — the formal partner of de facto ('in fact'), used to mark the gap between what the rules say and what's actually happening.
Origin
A standard piece of Roman legal Latin, carried into Western legal traditions. The de jure / de facto pair is constantly used to contrast formal and actual states of affairs — for example, de jure segregation (Jim Crow laws on the books) versus de facto segregation (residential and school patterns without explicit laws).
Modern usage
Used in political writing, legal scholarship, and history. Less common in casual speech than de facto, but always understood. Often used to describe regimes where official titles do not match real power.
In the wild
He's only the deputy de jure — de facto, he runs the office.— common usage
Tags
legal
formal
law