Government Vocab.
gov. vocab
Terms
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- arrest warrant
- an order signed b y a judge naming the individual to be arrested for a specific crime
- expressed contract
- a contract in which the terms are specifically stated, usually in writing
- injunction
- an order that will stop a particular action or enforce a rule or regulation
- grand jury
- group that hears charges against a suspect and decides whether there is sufficient evidence to bring the person to trial
- answer
- a formal response by a defendant to the charges in a complaint
- mediation
- a process in which each side is given the opportunity to explain its side of the dispute and must listen to the other side
- indictment
- a formal charge by a grand jury
- procedural due process
- principle that prohibts arbitrary enforcement of the law, and also provides arbitrary enforcement of the law, and also provides safeguards to ensure that constitutional and statutory rights are protected by law enforcement
- discovery
- process when both sides prepare for a trial by gathering evidence to support their case
- defendant
- the person against whom a civil or criminal suit is brought in court
- hung jury
- a jury that is unable to reach a decision
- civil law
- one relating to disputes among two or more individuals or between individuals and the government
- equity
- a system of rules by which disputes are resolved on the grounds of fairness
- plea bargaining
- the process in which a defendant pleads guilty to a lesser crime than the one with which the defendant was originally charged
- sentence
- the punishment to be imposed on an offender after a guilty verdict
- common law
- a law made by judges in the process of resolving individual cases
- real property
- land and whatever is attached to or growing on it
- statutory law
- a law that is written down so that everyone might know and understand it
- mortgage
- a loan taken out to pay for a house
- information
- a sworn statement by the prosecution that there is sufficient evidence for a trial
- statute
- a law written by a legislative branch
- verdict
- decision
- criminal justice system
- system of state and federal courts, police, and prisons that enforces criminal law
- presumed innocence
- the presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty
- felony
- a major crime
- affidavit
- a written statement to prove statements of fact signed by a witness under oath
- personal property
- movable belongings such as clothes, and jewelry, as well as intangible items like stocks, bonds, copyrights, and patents
- plaintiff
- person who brings charges in court
- contract
- a set of voluntary promises, enforceable by the law, between two or more parties
- administrative law
- a law that spells out the authority, procedures, rules, and regulations to be followed by government agencies
- misdemeanor
- a minor crime that is usually punished by a fine or jail sentence of less than one year
- summons
- an official notice of a lawsuit that includes the date, time, and place of the initial court appearance
- petty offense
- a minor crime, usually punished by a ticket rather than being arrested
- ordinance
- a law
- criminal law
- one that defines crimes and provides for their punishment
- complaint
- a legal document filed with the court that has jurisdiction over the problem
- law
- set of rules and standards by which a society governs itself
- due process of law
- principle in the fifth amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals
- jury
- a group of citizens who hear evidence during a trial and give a verdict
- constitutional law
- law that involves the interpretation and application of the U.S Constitution and state constitutions
- tort
- a wrongful act, other than breach of contract, for which an injured party has the right to sue
- substantive due process
- certain rights of individuals in the application of laws, some that are specified in the Constitution (like free speech) and some that are not specified (like the right of privacy in making personal decisions)
- adversary system
- a judicial system in which opposing lawyers present their strongest cases
- implied contract
- a contract in which the terms are not expressly stated but can be inferred from the actions of the people involved and the circumstances