Pia Causa Definition: Latin: charitable purposes. Sometimes called a pious use (pious trust), pia causa was a Latin law term referring to institutions which had charitable purposes. Howe writes: “The term pia causa denotes an institution for religious and charitable purposes, or for the public benefit in such a direction. The general name is given to every establishment whose object is the promotion of piety, the relief of necessitous persons, and the advancement of education and science.” According to Justice Johnson of the United States Supreme Court, in Inglis, the English statute on charitable purposes was: "... a system borrowed from the civil law, almost copied verbatim into the common law...." REFERENCES: Howe, W., Studies in the Civil Law (Littleton, Colorado: Fred B. Rothman & Co., 1980), page 67-68 Inglis v Trustees of Sailors’ Snug Harbor 28 U. S. 99 (1830); also 3 Peters 100, at 139 Categories & Topics: Civil Law Dictionary Dictionary of Latin Law Terms Trusts, Wills, Estates and Probate Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!