Courts
Process in which the judge takes an active role in investigating the case and examining evidence by, for example, questioning witnesses.
Inquisitorial Process Court
An adjournment of a scheduled case until a later date.
Continuance
The geographic territory or legal boundaries within which control may be exercised; the range of a court’s authority.
Jurisdiction
A legal representative of the state with sole responsibility for bringing criminal charges. Depending on the state, this person is referred to as the district attorney, state’s attorney, commonwealth attorney, or county attorney.
Prosecuting attorney
The lawyer who represents accused defendants and convicted offenders in their dealings with criminal justice.
Defense Attorney
Criminal courts with trial jurisdiction over misdemeanor cases and preliminary matters in felony cases. Sometimes these courts hold felony trials that may result in penalties below a specific limit.
Trial Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
Each separate offense of which a person is accused in an indictment or an information.
Count
An election in which candidates’ party affiliations are not listed on the ballot.
Nonpartisan Election
Chief legal officer of a state, responsible for both civil and criminal matters.
State Attorney General
An attorney in private practice assigned by a court to represent an indigent defendant. The attorney’s fee is paid by the government with jurisdiction over the case.
Assigned Counsel
Criminal courts with jurisdiction over all offenses, including felonies. In some states, these courts also hear appeals.
Trial Courts of General Jurisdiction
Local court officials’ shared view of the appropriate sentence for a given offense, the defendant’s prior record, and other case characteristics.
Going rate
An election in which candidates openly affiliated with political parties are presented to voters for selection.
Partisan Election
Officials responsible for the prosecution of crimes that violate the laws of the United States. Appointed by the president and assigned to a U.S. district court jurisdiction.
United States Attorneys
An attorney employed on a full-time, salaried basis by a public or private nonprofit organization to represent indigent defendants.
Public Defender
Courts that do not try criminal cases but hear appeals of decisions of lower courts.
Appellate courts
Norms shared by members of a court community as to how cases should be handled and how a participant should behave in the judicial process.
Local legal culture
Lower-level local courts dedicated to addressing particular social problems or troubled populations. Examples of such courts include drug courts, domestic violence courts, and mental health courts.
Problem Solving Courts
An attorney in private practice who contracts with the government to represent all indigent defendants in a county during a period of time and for a specified dollar amount.
Contract Counsel
True or False
Both federal and state court systems have trial and appellate courts.
True
The series of events from the arrest of a suspect to the filing of a formal charge (through an indictment or information) with the court.
Accusatory Process
What are the main functions of a judge?
Adjudicator
Negotiator
Administrator
Court process, employed in the United States and other former British colonies, in which lawyers for each side represent their clients’ best interests in presenting evidence and formulating arguments as a means to discover the truth and protect the rights of defendants.
Adversarial Process
A prosecutor’s pretrial disclosure to the defense of facts and evidence to be introduced at trial.
Discovery
A collection of individuals who interact in the workplace on a continuing basis, share goals, develop norms regarding how activities should be carried out, and eventually establish a network of roles, all of which differentiate the group from others and facilitate cooperation.
Work Group