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Street Law Chapt1
Vocabulary
Question | Answer |
---|---|
the study of law and legal philosophy | jurisprudence |
the branch of law dealing with crimes and their punishment; it regulates public conduct and set out duties owed to society | criminal laws |
a serious criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence of more than one year | felony |
a criminal offense, less serious than a felony, punishable by a prison sentence of one year or less | misdemeanor |
all law that does not involve criminal matters, such as tort and contract law; usually deals with private rights of individuals, groups, or businesses | civil laws |
a noncriminal lawsuit, brought to enforce a right or redress a wrong | civil action |
the person against whom a claim is made; in a civil suit, this person is the person being sued; in a criminal case, this person is the person charged with committing a crime | defendant |
in a civil case, the injured party who brings legal action against the alleged wrongdoer | plaintiff |
the state or federal government's attorney in a criminal case | prosecutor |
the level of proof required to convict a person of a crime; it does not mean "convinced 100 percent," but does mean there are no reasonable doubts as to guilt | beyond a reasonable doubt |
usually the standard of proof used in a civil suit; the burden of proof that a party must meet in order to win the lawsuit; to win, a party must provide evidence that is more convincing than the other side's evidence | preponderance of evidence |
a basic principle of our constitutional system; powers are held to those provided by the people | limited government |
the division of power among the branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) | separation of powers |
written laws enacted by legislatures | statutes |
the power of each of the three branches of government to limit the other branches' power, so as to prevent an abuse | checks and balances |
prohibit; in government, this is the power of the chief executive to prevent enactment of a bill (i.e., to prevent the bill from becoming a law) | veto |
the process by which courts decide whether the laws passed by Congress or state legislatures are constitutional | judicial review |
conflicting with some provision of the Constitution | unconstitutional |
the division of powers between the states and the federal government | federalism |
the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee basic individual rights to all persons in the United States | Bill of Rights |