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Legal Terminology
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| affidavit | a sworn, written statement |
| appeal | petitioning a higher court to review a case to reverse errors made at trial |
| arraignment | bringing a defendant before a judge to allow him or her to hear the charges that were filed and make a plea |
| arrest | the official detention of a person for a criminal trial |
| bail | money or property temporarily surrendered to the government by a defendent who will be released until trial to ensure that he or she will not flee the jurisdiction.It is returned to the defendent upon the trial's conclusion. |
| Bill of Rights | the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution; they secure several of the most important rights of American citizens. |
| book - | to formal, clerical aspect of an arrest. During "booking", several forms are filled out containing the defendent's personal information and a description of the possessions he or she was carrying at the time of arrest. certiorari - petitioning the Supreme |
| charge | an accusation of guilt; usually the first step in a criminal prosecution |
| Constitution | the document that defines the United States government. |
| cross examination | the period of questioning in a trial when the lawyers of one side interrogate a witness from the opposing side |
| defendant- | party against which a case is brought in a criminal or civil trial |
| defense attorney | counsel employed to represent a defendent |
| direct examination | period of questioning in a trial when the lawyers of one side question their own witnesses |
| due process | guarantees and procedures built into the legal system into safeguard the civil rights of individuals. |
| exclusionary rule | the provision that the Supreme Court has interpreted to exist in the Constitution that prohibits evidence obtained by means of an unlawful seizure from being admitted in a court of law |