| A | B |
|---|
| Jurisprudence | The study of law and legal philosophy. |
| Statutes | written laws enacted by legislatures. |
| Prosecutor | the state or federal government's attorney in a criminal case. |
| beyond a reasonable doubt | the level of proof required to convict a person of a crime. |
| separation of powers | the division of power among the branches of government. |
| checks and balances | the power of each of the three branches of government to limit the other branches' power, so as to prevent an abuse. |
| judicial review | the process by which courts decide whether the laws passed by congress or state legislatures are constitutional. |
| Bill of Rights | the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which guarantee basic individual rightsto all persons in the United States. |
| Federalism | the division of powers between the states and the federal government. |
| Appeals | to take a case to a higher court for a rehearing. |
| Precedent | court decision on a legal question that guides future cases with similar questions. |
| Advocacy | active support or argument for a cause |
| Lobbying | influencing or persuading legislators to take action to introduce a bill or vote a certain way on a proposed law. |
| Negotiation | The process of discussing an issue to reach a settlement or agreement. |
| Arbitration | a way of settling a dispute without going to trial. |
| Mediation | the act or process of resolving a dispute between two or more parties. |
| Voir Dire | From the French phrase meaning “to speak the truth.” It is the screening process in which opposing lawyers question perspective jurors to ensure as favorable or as fair a jury is possible. |
| Adversarial System | The judicial system used in the United States. It allows opposing parties to present their legal conflicts before an impartial judge and jury. |
| Peremptory Challenges | Part of the pretrial jury selection. Attorneys on opposing sides may dismiss a certain number of possible jurors without giving any reason. There is one exception: peremptory challenges cannot be used to discriminate based on race. |
| Incarceration | Imprisonment by the state. |
| Implied Consent | An unwritten agreement to submit to forms of interrogation in exchange for certain privileges, such as driving or flying. |
| Recidivist | A repeat criminal offender convicted of a crime after having been previously convicted. |
| Restitution | The act of restoring something to its owner; the act of making good for loss or damage; repaying or refunding illegally obtained money or property. |
| Malice | ill will, deliberate intent to harm someone. |
| Negligence | The failure to exercise a reasonable amount of care in either doing or not doing something, resulting in harm or injury to another person. |
| Arson | The deliberate and malicious burning of another person's property. |
| Vandalism | The deliberate destruction or defacement of another person's property. |
| Larceny | The unlawful taking of another’s property with the intent to steal it. |
| Concealment | The crime of attempted shoplifting that is recognized by some states. |
| Embezzlement | the taking of money or property by a person to whom it has been entrusted. |
| Robbery | The unlawful taking of property from a person's immediate possession by force or intimidation. |
| Extortion | Taking property illegally through threats of harm. |
| Burglary | Breaking and entering a building with the intention of committing a crime. |
| Forgery | The act of making a fake document or altering a real one with the intent to commit fraud. |
| Hackers | Illegally accessing government or corporate computer systems. |
