Glossary for Vocabulary Terms

Glossary for Vocabulary Terms
CE.8 - The Court System

appellate jurisdiction - the right of a court to hear an appeal 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, 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.

civil case - a case in which an individual, business, or organization sues another in a dispute.

criminal case - a case in which the government accuses an individual of breaking a criminal law.

damages - money a court orders the defendant to pay to the plaintiff in a civil case to compensate for an injury or loss.

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. It is guaranteed by the 5th and the 14th Amendments.

felony - a serious crime such as murder, assault, or armed robbery.

Fifth Amendment - this Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says the national government cannot deny any citizen due process of law. It also says a person accused of a crime cannot be forced to testify against himself.

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 laws.

grand jury - a group of citizens that checks to see if there is enough evidence to take a person accused of a serious crime to trial. If the grand jury finds that there is not enough evidence, the charges are dropped. If there is enough evidence to proceed, the grand jury issues and "indictment," a list of the exact charges.

indictment - a list of the exact charges against a person accused of a crime.

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 evidenced against the person accused. Citizens generally must serve on a jury if called.

juvenile - a person under the age of 18, and therefore, not legally an adult.

magistrate - in Virginia, a court appointed official who typically issues arrest warrants and search warrants after reviewing an accusation brought by police.

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.

plaintiff - In a civil case, the plaintiff is the person or group bringing the complaint to court. In a criminal case, the plaintiff is the government, which is bringing the charges against the accused criminal.

probable cause - the level of evidence needed to make an arrest or get a search warrant. The evidence must be more than just suspicion, but does not need to be actual proof that the person committed a crime.