Courtroom Jargon
What is a 'bench trial'?
What is an 'arraignment'?
What is an 'appeal'?
What is 'hearsay'?
What are leading questions?
What are 'motions'?
What is an 'objection'?
What does the term 'sustained' mean in a courtroom?
Sustained means that a judge has upheld an objection; so if a party objects that a question calls irrelevant information, for example, and the judge sustains the objection, then that question will not be answered and the adversary has to ask another question.
What does the term 'overruled' mean in a courtroom?
What is a 'hostile witness'?
What is a 'guilty' plea?
A guilty plea is basically an admission by the defendant that they committed the crime. Often, most criminal cases that are filed, end with guilty pleas as a result of what we call a plea bargain. This plea bargain is where the prosecutor agrees to reduce the charges or agrees to recommend a lighter sentence, in return for a plea of 'guilty'. A guilty plea ends the case, and there won't be a trial. Usually, a judge will question a defendant who wants to plead guilty, and make sure that the defendant is pleading guilty because they really are guilty, and that's not because they want to save time or protect somebody else.
What is a 'no contest' plea?
What is a 'not guilty' plea?
What is 'reasonable doubt'?
What is the 'preponderance of evidence'?
Preponderance of evidence' is a standard of proof that is used in most, but not all, civil trials. It means that the plaintiff, the party who brought the lawsuit, is not entitled to a judgement unless they convince the judge or jury by a 'prepondence of evidence' that their version of the events is correct. 'Preponderance of the evidence', a lesser version than beyond a reasonable doubt, the standard of proof in criminal cases. It probably means something like the judge or jury should be like 51% confident that the plaintiff has proved it's case before they give the verdict to the plaintiff.
What does the term 'burden of proof' mean?
