Burdens of Proof
The required amount of evidence a party must present to establish a fact or prove something in court.
What is burden of proof?
This type of proof establishes a fact without any inference or assumption.
What is Direct Evidence?
Evidence meets this standard if it makes a certain fact more or less probable, AND the fact actually matters for the case.
What is Relevance?
This is the term for the person bringing a claim against the other party.
Who is the Plaintiff?
This famous, reflective sculpture located in Millennium Park.
What is "The Bean"?
In a civil case, the plaintiff must prove their claim by this standard, meaning it is more than 50% likely, or "more likely than not".
What is a Preponderance of Evidence?
This type of proof requires a logical inference to connect a fact to a conclusion.
What is Circumstantial Evidence?
This objection applies to an out-of-court statement containing a factual assertion that is being used to prove the truth of the matter asserted.
What is Hearsay?
This is the term for the person whom the legal claim is brought against.
Who is the Defendant?
This iconic style of pizza, famous in Chicago, features a thick crust with cheese on the bottom and chunky tomato sauce on the top.
What is Deep-Dish Pizza?
In a criminal case, the prosecution (government) must prove the defendant's alleged crimes by this standard.
What is beyond a reasonable doubt?
This is the term for a mapped out explanation of inferences used to prove the relevance of circumstantial evidence.
What is an Evidentiary Hypothesis?
You can make this objection if a lawyer is questioning their own witness on direct examination and effectively "hands" the witness the answer.
What is a Leading Question?
Timmy Tort sues Reese McForm for ruining his superhero cards. In this lawsuit, Reese is this specific party in a lawsuit.
Who is the Defendant?
This historic North Side baseball stadium is famous for the ivy covering its outfield fence.
What is Wrigley Field?
David is charged with stealing a school computer from the library. To show he is guilty, the PROSECUTOR (GOVERNMENT), must use what specific burden of proof?
A security camera clearly shows Maria slipping on a green puddle in Aisle 4 and falling to the floor. This video recording is an example of this specific type of evidence.
What is Direct Evidence?
While defending a student accused of spray-painting graffiti on the gym wall, the opposing lawyer asks the student, "Isn't it true that you returned all of your library books two weeks late last semester?". You should raise this objection.
What is Relevance?
When a lawyer questions their own witness, such as a teacher testifying about a hallway fight, they are conducting this type of examination.
What is Direct Examination?
Every year for St. Patrick's Day, this major waterway running through the downtown loop is dyed bright green.
What is the Chicago River?
Timmy Tort sues Reese McForm for ruining his limited edition superhero cards by knocking his bag in the pool. As the person bringing the claim, Timmy must satisfy this specific burden of proof.
What is a preponderance of the evidence (more than 50% likely)?
A customer testifies that they saw Maria walking down the aisle looking down at her phone, typing a text message right before she tumbled. Because the jury must infer that the texting caused her to be distracted and fall, this testimony is an example of this kind of evidence.
What is Circumstantial Evidence?
A witness is asked why David stole a tiger costume and answers, "Well, David's ex-girlfriend told me that he hid it in his garage". You should raise this objection.
What is Hearsay?
While leading questions are objectionable when questioning your own witness, they are explicitly allowed during this phase of questioning an opposing witness.
What is Cross-Examination?
Once the tallest building in the world for nearly 25 years, this 110-story skyscraper was famously known as the Sears Tower before its renaming in 2009.
What is the Willis Tower?