In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court or a ward of the state.

A famous ward from pop culture would be Dick Grayson (Robin), who was first introduced as the ward of Bruce Wayne (Batman). After his acrobat parents were killed, Dick was not adopted by Bruce Wayne but rather placed under his care.

In antebellum America, United States Governmental Policy toward Native Americans involved the regarding of Indian tribes as both independent nations and as "wards of the state". This was contradictory because while they were treated as "independent", they were also considered "incapacitated individuals". This policy was revoked with the policy of assimilation and, eventually, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

See also

• Charge (youth)

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