| A | B |
|---|
| Precedents | legal opinions made in prior cases that are used to make legal decisions by judges |
| felony | a serious crime |
| bail | a sum paid to a court to win release from jail while awaiting trial |
| tort | a civil wrong or a wrongful act involving damage or injury to another person |
| grand jury | a group of citizens who decide whether there is enough evidence to formally charge a suspect with a crime |
| due process of law | requires the government to follow the law and treat all people equally |
| misdemeanor | a crime that holds less serious consequences than a felony |
| plea bargaining | a way to avoid a trial by pleading guilty in exchange for a lesser sentence |
| defendant | the individual or group accused of a crime |
| lawsuit | the term for a civil case that has gone to court |
| plaintiff | the party that brings charges against an alleged criminal or against another person who they believed has wronged them. |
| petit jury | The group of 12 citizens who decides guilt or innocence at a trial |
| juvenile delinquent | a young person who commits a crime |
| cross examination | Point in the trial used to question a witness called by the other side with the goal of discrediting his/her testimony |
| crime | an act that breaks a federal or state criminal law and causes harm to people or society |
| discovery | pretrial process in which lawyers on each side of a lawsuit may obtain information from the other party and possible witnesses |
| acquittal | a vote of not guilty |
| mandatory sentencing | when judges must impose the sentence that the law directs |
| settlement | an agreement on an amount of money that the defendant will pay to the plaintiff before the start of a civil trial |
| juvenile | anyone under the age of 18 |
| neglect | type of juvenile court case that involves young people who have been abused by their caregivers |
| arraignment | procedure in which an accused person enters a plea or either guilty or not guilty and may accept a plea bargain |
| hung jury | When a jury that can not agree on a verdict and the judge declares a mistrial |
