Criminal vs Civil Law

Question 1

Prosecutor

Answer 1

Someone who institutes legal proceedings against someone

Question 2

Plaintiff

Answer 2

a person who brings a case up against someone else in the court of law

Question 3

Defendant

Answer 3

someone sued or accused in the court of law

Question 4

Defense Attorney

Answer 4

represents the defendant in a lawsuit or prosecution

Question 5

Bench Trial

Answer 5

a trial by the judge only, no jury

Question 6

Hung Jury

Answer 6

a jury that is unable to agree on a verdict after extensive deliberation

Question 7

Mistrial

Answer 7

a trial rendered invalid through an error in the proceedings

Question 8

Grand Jury

Answer 8

23 jurors to examine the validity of an accusation before bringing it to trial

Question 9

Petit Trial

Answer 9

hears evidence and delivers a verdict

Question 10

Indictment

Answer 10

a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime

Question 11

Allegation

Answer 11

a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof

Question 12

Physical Evidence

Answer 12

any material object that plays some sort of role in the crime

Question 13

Eye Witness Testimony

Answer 13

an account given by someone who was there and witnessed an incident happen.

Question 14

Circumstantial Evidence

Answer 14

Evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact.

ex. a fingerprint found at a crime scene

Question 15

Inadmissible Evidence

Answer 15

evidence that is deemed so unreliable that it is not considered in the deliberation in court

Question 16

Questions of the Law

Answer 16

a question that must be answered by applying relevant legal principles to interpretation of the law. Such a question is distinct from a question of fact, which must be answered by reference to facts and evidence as well inferences arising from those facts

Question 17

Questions of the Fact

Answer 17

questions which must be answered by reference to facts and evidence as well inferences arising from those facts

Question 18

Verdict

Answer 18

a final decision on a dispute in a civil or criminal case

Question 19

Based on Beyond Reasonable Doubt

Answer 19

that no other logical explanation can be derived from the facts except that the defendant committed the crime, thereby overcoming the presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty.

Question 20

Preponderance of Evidence

Answer 20

verdict is based on the more convincing evidence and its probable truth or accuracy, and not on the amount of evidence

Question 21

Nolo Contendere

Answer 21

accepts a conviction as if they were entering a guilty plea but does not admit guilty

Question 22

Plead Guilty

Answer 22

admiring guilty to the crime

Question 23

Plea Bargain

Answer 23

an agreement between defendant and the prosecutor where the defendant pleads guilty or nolo contendere in order to get a charge dropped or reduced

Question 24

Negotiation

Answer 24

to work out the problem away from court

Question 25

Mediation

Answer 25

intervention in a dispute in order to resolve it

Question 26

Arbitration

Answer 26

the use of an arbitrator ( officially appointed) in order to settle a disagreement or dispute