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Accessory:     One who aids or contributes in a secondary way.

Accused:        A person who has been arrested for or formally charged with a crime.

Acquittal:        The legal and formal judgment that a person charged with a crime is not guilty.

Adjudication:  The judgement reached in a judicial procedure.

Affidavit:         A written statement made under oath before a notary public or other authorized official.

Appeal:          A proceeding in which a case is brought before a higher court for review of a lower court’s judgement                             for the purpose of convincing the higher court that the lower court’s judgement was incorrect.

Arraignment:  The court appearance of a person accused of a crime to hear and to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

 

 

Bail:                Security, usually in the form of money or property, is posted for the release of a jailed person to ensure                           his or her appearance in court.

Brief:              A written or printed document filed in court and prepared by counsel, usually setting forth both facts and                         law in support of a case.

 

 

Capital Case: A criminal case in which the death sentence may be imposed.

Concurrent Sentences:  Sentences that are served at the same time.

Consecutive Sentences: Sentences that follow one another.

Contempt of Court:  Disregard or disobedience for the authority of a court of law.

Continuance:  The adjournment or postponement of a hearing, trial or other proceeding to a subsequent time.

Conviction:  The finding that a person is guilty of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

 

Defendant:     The person against whom a criminal or civil action is brought.

Deliberations: A discussion and consideration by a group of person (as a jury or legislature) of the reasons for or                                   against a measure.

Double Jeopardy: The prosecution of a person for an offense for which he or she has already been prosecuted.

Due Process:  Constitutional provision guaranteeing fair and impartial treatment by the government.

 

 

Extradition:     The surrender by one state or country to another of an individual accused or convicted of an offense.

 

 

Felony:            A crime that has a greater punishment imposed by statute than that imposed on a misdemeanor.

 

 

Habeas Corpus:  A writ (order) to bring a person before the court.  In most common usage, the writ is directed to                                     wardens or jailers, commanding them to produce the body of the prisoner or person detained so that                             the court may determine whether such person is lawfully confined.

Hearsay:           Evidence based on out-of-court statements of others rather than the knowledge of a witness.

Hung Jury:        A jury so irreconcilably divided in opinion that they cannot agree upon any verdict.

 

 

Indictment:       An accusation in writing found and presented by a grand jury.

 

 

Jury:                 People selected as prescribed by law to render a decision or verdict in a trial.

 

 

Miranda Rule:  The 1966 Supreme Court decision in Miranda v Arizona requires that, prior to any custodial interrogation (that is, questioning initiated by law enforcement officers after a person is taken into custody) the person must be advised: (1) that he or she has the right to remain silent. (2) that any statement may be used as evidence against him or her; (3) that he or she has a right to the presence of an attorney (4) that if he or she cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for him or her prior to any questioning if he or she so desires.  Unless and until these warnings or a waiver of these rights are demonstrated, no evidence obtained in the interrogation may be used against the accused.

Misdemeanor:  A less serious criminal offense punishable by fine or imprisonment not to exceed one year.

 

 

Oath:              A written or oral pledge to speak the truth.

Objection:      A statement by an attorney opposing specific testimony or admission of evidence.

Overrule:        The court’s denial of a motion or objection.

 

 

Perjury:          Lying under oath.

Probable Cause:  A reasonable belief that a crime has been or is being committed.

Probation:      Suspending the sentence of a convicted person and granting supervised freedom on the promise of                              good behavior.

Prosecution:  The act of pursuing a lawsuit or criminal trial.

Prosecutor:    The public official who performs the function of a trial lawyer for the government in criminal cases.

Public Defender:  An attorney appointed by a court or employed by a government agency whose work consists                                    primarily of defending indigent defendants in criminal cases.

 

 

Statute of Limitations:  A law setting a time limit on enforcement of rights in certain cases.

Statutes:        Laws passed or enacted by the legislature.

Subpoena:    A written legal notice requiring a person to appear in court to provide testimony as a witness.

Sustain:         The court’s acceptance of any motion or objection.

 

 

Trial:             The examination of issues regarding fact and law before the court.

 

 

Verdict:        The final formal trial decision made by a jury, read before the court and accepted by the judge.