| A | B |
|---|
| Common Law | a system of law based on precedent and customs. |
| Statute | a law written by a legislative branch. |
| Civil Case | a person or group taking legal action against another person or group. |
| Precedent | a ruling that is used as the basis for a judicial decision. |
| Plaintiff | a person or party filing a lawsuit. |
| Defendant | an individual or group being sued or charged with a crime. |
| Prosecution | party who starts the legal proceedings against another party for a violation of the law. |
| Indictment | a formal charge by a grand jury. |
| bail | a sum of money used to security deposit to ensure that an accused person returns for his or her trial. |
| plea bargain | negotiation between the defense attorney and the prosecutor. |
| lawsuit | a legal action in which a person or group sues to collect damages for some harm that is done. |
| settlement | in a legal case, the amount of money the defendant agrees to pay the plantiff. |
| mediation | situation which union and company officials bring in a third party to try to help them reach an agreement. |
| Arbitration | situation in which union and company officials submit the issues they cannot agree on to a third party for a final decision. |
| incarceration | the state of being confined in prison. |
| Parole | to grant a prisoner an early release from prison, with certain restrictions. |
| mandatory sentence | punishment that judges must impose according to what the law directs. |
| Juvenile deliquent | a child or teenager who commits a serious crime or repeatedly breaks the law. |
