join issue

English

Verb

join issue (third-person singular simple present joins issue, present participle joining issue, simple past and past participle joined issue)

1. (of two people) To argue with one another.
2. (law) (of two parties to a legal proceeding) To agree to argue about a particular legal claim.
   • 2021, Warner Chappell Music, Inc. v. Nealy (U.S. Supreme Court No. 19-292), Justice Gorsuch dissenting:

     In one sense, the Court’s decision to pass over this complication may be understandable. After all, none of the parties before us questioned the application of a discovery rule in proceedings below, but joined issue only over how it should work.

Further reading

• “join issue”, in Collins English Dictionary.