| A | B |
|---|
| appeal | in the court system, to ask a higher court to review a case already heard in a lower court. |
| appellate jurisdiction | the authority of a court to hear an appeal of a case from a lower court. |
| arraignment | the step in a criminal case where the person accused of a crime appears in court to hear the exact charges against him or her. and to plead guilty or not guilty. |
| bail | the money put up by a person arrested for a crime as a guarantee that if he is released, he will show up for the trial. The money is returned at the end of the trial. |
| capital crime | a crime that could carry the death penalty, such as murder. |
| civil case | a legal case in which one party sues another party in a disagreement, and ask the court to settle the disagreement. |
| compensation | something- often money - given someone or some group to make up for a harm that was done to them, in order to "set things right" |
| criminal case | a case in which the government accuses an individual of breaking the law. |
| damages | in a civil case, money being sought by a person or group to compensate them for a wrong or injury done to them by another person or group. |
| defendant | in a trial, the person accused of a crime or the person being sued. |
| due process | the constitutional requirement that the government must follow fair rules in a fair manner. Due process is guaranteed by the Fifth and the Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. |
| felony | a serious crime such as murder, kidnapping, or armed robbery. |
| Fifth Amendment | this Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says the national governement cannot deny any citizen due process of law |
| Fourteenth Amendment | this amendment to the U.S. Constitution defines citizenship as any person born or naturalized in the U.S. It also says states cannot deny any citizen due process or equal protection of the law. |
| grand jury | in federal and many state legal systems, a grand jury is a group of citizens that reviews possible cases to see if there is really enough evidence to justify bringing criminal charges against a person. The grand jury is intended to protect citizens from accusations that are not backed up with reasonable evidence. |
| indictment | a list of the exact charges against a person accused of a crime. |
| justice | the term for a Judge at the U.S. Supreme Court or the Virginia Supreme Court. In other use, the term means fairness or proper treatment under the law. |
| judicial review | the power of the Supreme Court to strike down a law as unconstitutional.This power was established in the famous 1803 legal case known as Marbury v. Madison |
| jurisdiction | the authority of a court to hear a particular type of case, or the geographic area in which a court has authority to hear cases. |
| jury | in a trial, the group of citizens that hears the evidence against the person accused |
| juvenile | a person under the age of 18, and therefore, not legally an adult. |
| Marbury v. Madison | the Supreme Court case in 1803 that established the principle of judicial review. |
| misdemeanor | a less serious crime or violation of law that carries a maximum sentence of no more than one year in jail |
| original jurisdiction | a court's authority to be the "first point of entry" into the court system for a particular kind of legal case. |
| plantiff | in a civil case, the plantiff is the person or group bringing the complaint to court. In a criminal case, the plantiff is the government, which is bringing the charges against the accused criminal. |
| plea | in a criminal case, the person accused is asked to enter a plea (declare) if they are guilty or not guilty |
| probable cause | the level of eveidence needed to make an arrest or get a search warrant. The evidence must be more than just suspicion, but it does not have to be absolute proof that the person committed the crime. |
