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Terms
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- Arrest warrant
- an order signed by a judge naming the individual to be arrested for a specific crime
- Defendant
- the person against whom a civil or criminal suit is brought in court
- Affidavit
- a written statement to prove statements of fact signed by a witness under oath
- Real property
- land and whatever is attached or growing on it
- Summons
- an official notice of a lawsuit that includes the date, time, and place of the initial court appearance
- Verdict
- decision
- Misdemeanor
- a minor crime that is usually punished by a fine or jail sentence of less than one year
- Tort
- a wrongful act, other that breach of contract, for which an injured party has the right to sue
- Mortgage
- a loan taken out to pay for a house
- Contract
- a set of voluntary promises, enforceable by the law, between two or more parties
- Answer
- a formal response by a defendant to the charges in a complaint
- Discovery
- process when both sides prepare for a trial by gathering evidence to support their case
- Statue
- law written by a legislative branch of government
- Meditation
- a process in which each side is given the opportunity to explain its side of the dispute and must listen to the other side
- Petty offense
- a minor crime, usually punished by a ticket rather than being arrested
- Civil law
- one relating to disputes among two or more individuals or between individuals and the government
- Jury
- a group of citizens who hear evidence during a trial and give a verdict
- Procedural due process
- principle that prohibits arbitrary enforcement of the law, and also provides safeguards to ensure that constitutional and statuary rights are protected by law enforcement
- Law
- set of rules and standards by which a society governs itself
- Criminal law
- one that defines crimes and provides for their punishment
- Sentence
- the punishment to be imposed on an offender after a guilty verdict
- Injunction
- an order that will stop a particular action or enforce a rule or regulation
- Due process
- principle in the Fifth Amendment stating that the government must follow proper constitutional procedures in trials and in other actions it takes against individuals
- Plaintiff
- a person who brings charges in court
- Complaint
- a legal document filed with the court that has jurisdiction over the problem
- Criminal justice system
- system of state and federal courts, police, and prisons that enforce criminal law
- Hung jury
- a jury that is unable to reach a decision
- 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 (like the right of privacy in making personal decisions)
- Statutory law
- a law that is written down so that everyone might know and understand it
- Indictment
- a formal charge by a grand jury
- Adversary system
- a judicial system in which opposing lawyers present their strongest cases
- Common law
- law made by judges in the process of resolving individual cases
- Constitutional law
- law that involves the interpretation and application of U.S. Constitution and state constitutions
- Equity
- a system of rules by which disputes are resolved on the grounds of fairness
- Felony
- a major crime
- Grand jury
- group that hears charges against a suspect and decides whether there is sufficient evidence to bring the person to trial
- Administrative law
- law that spells out the authority, procedures, rules, and regulations to be followed by government agencies
- 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.
- Presumed innocence
- the presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty
- Ordinance
- a law
- Information
- a sworn statement by the prosecution that there is sufficient evidence for a trial
- Expressed contract
- a contract in which the terms are specifically stated, usually in writing.
- Plea bargaining
- the process in which a defendant pleads guilty to a lesser crime than the one with which the defendant was originally charged