| A | B |
|---|
| a law written by a legislative branch | statute |
| a person or party filing a lawsuit | plantiff |
| an individual or group being sued or charged with a crime | defendant |
| a serious crime such as murder, rape, kidnapping, or robbery | felony |
| a relatively minor offense such as vandalism or stealing inexpensive items | misdemeanor |
| a legal action in which a person or group sues to collect damages for some harm that is done | lawsuit |
| wrongful acts for which an injured party has the right to sue | torts |
| a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person | writ of habeas corpus |
| a law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or a fair hearing in court | bill of attainder |
| a law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed | ex post facto law |
| procedures established by law and guaranteed by the Constitution | due process of law |
| a court order allowing law enforcement officers to search a suspect's home or business and take specific items as evidence | search warrant |
| putting someone on trial for a crime of which he or she was previously acquitted | double jeopardy |
| a group of citizens that decides whether there is sufficient evidence to accuse someone of a crime | grand jury |
| a sum of money used as a security deposit to ensure that an accused person returns for his or her trial | bail |
