Impressment Law and Legal Definition
Impressment refers to an act of forcibly taking something for public service. It is a court's imposition of a constructive trust on equitable grounds. It is a court's imposition of a constructive trust on equitable grounds.
In Pinkham v. Dorothy, 55 Me. 135, 139 (Me. 1867), it was held that the impressment is authorized as to specific things, and the authority to impress is not to be enlarged by construction, or upon any recognized principles of interpretation.
However, the right of impressment is justified only by emergencies and a citizen's property cannot be taken without proof of forfeiture. When an impressment is made without any justification, subordinate officers are responsible for executing illegal orders of their superiors, and are considered as trespassers.
