Court Personnel
This person organizes documents, maintains the official case file, and ensures that all exhibits admitted as evidence are properly stored and recorded.
Court Clerk
After the jury returns a guilty verdict, the defense attorney tells the court that legal errors occurred during the proceedings and that the case should be reviewed.
Appeal
After the arrest, the defendant meets with his defense attorney to review the police reports and surveillance footage that were provided during discovery. Even though the defendant insists he is innocent, his attorney explains that the district attorney has strong evidence. In court, the defendant tells the judge he will accept punishment but will not admit guilt.
Alford
After several days of testimony, the jury reviews the photographs, forensic reports, and witness statements admitted into evidence. During deliberations, the jurors agree that although the defendant may have been present at the scene, the prosecutor failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant committed the crime.
Not Guilty /Acquittal
A witness appears in court, promises to tell the truth under oath, and answers questions from both the prosecutor and defense attorney about what they know regarding the alleged crime.
Testimony
After closing arguments, these individuals deliberate privately to determine whether the prosecution has met its burden of proof.
Jury
During the trial, the district attorney attempts to read a written statement from a witness who did not appear in court. The defense attorney objects and tells the judge that allowing the statement would prevent the defendant from questioning the witness about the accusations.
Right to face your accuser
During plea negotiations, the prosecutor offers to recommend a lighter sentence if the defendant agrees to resolve the case without going to trial. In court, the defendant states he does not wish to fight the charges and will accept the punishment, but he refuses to acknowledge committing the crime.
No Contest
Following the presentation of the state’s evidence, including surveillance video and multiple eyewitnesses, the jury deliberates and concludes that the prosecution successfully proved each element of the charged offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
Guilty
The defendant’s attorney argues that the prosecution has not provided certain police reports or witness statements that should have been shared before trial according to the rules of criminal procedure.
Discovery
During a jury trial, the prosecutor begins questioning a witness about statements that were ruled inadmissible earlier in the proceedings. The defense attorney immediately raises an objection, arguing the question violates the court’s prior ruling. The person presiding over the courtroom pauses the testimony, considers the attorneys’ arguments, and then decides whether the question can be asked while ensuring the jury only hears information that follows the rules of the court. Later in the same proceeding, that same individual will also provide jury instructions explaining the law before the jurors begin deliberations, and if the defendant is convicted, will determine the appropriate sentence.
Judge
The judge reminds the jury that the defendant does not have to testify and that they must not consider the defendant’s silence as evidence of guilt.
Right to remain silent
After reviewing the strength of the state’s evidence, the defendant tells his defense attorney that he wants a trial because he maintains his innocence. However, when the possible sentencing exposure is explained, the defendant decides to enter a plea in which he accepts the conviction while still asserting he is innocent.
Alford
After several days of testimony and the presentation of physical evidence, the jury begins deliberations. Hours later, the foreperson informs the judge that some jurors believe the prosecutor met the burden of proof, while others believe reasonable doubt still exists. The judge instructs the jurors to continue deliberating, but after additional discussion they still cannot reach a unanimous verdict. The court ultimately discharges the jury without a final decision.
Hung Jury/Mistrial
During sentencing, the judge states that the defendant has already spent several months in jail after the arrest while waiting for trial. The judge decides that this time will count toward the total punishment imposed by the court.
Time Served.
At trial, a forensic scientist explains the laboratory testing performed on fingerprints recovered from the scene during the police investigation. The scientist describes the testing methods and the meaning of the results to the jury.
Expert Witness
Following his arrest, the defendant appears at an arraignment without legal representation and tells the judge he cannot afford a lawyer. The court appoints a defense attorney to represent him. Months later, while the defendant remains in jail awaiting trial, the attorney files a motion arguing that the case has been delayed too long and that the defendant has been held in pretrial detention without the opportunity to have the charges heard before a jury.
Right to an attorney AND right to a speedy trial
At arraignment, the defendant declines to admit the allegations and asks the court to schedule a jury trial so the prosecutor must prove every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
Not Guilty
The jury foreperson stands and announces in open court that the jurors have carefully reviewed all the evidence and determined the prosecution did not meet the legal standard required for a conviction.
Not Guilty
A defendant believes his lawyer is secretly working with the prosecutor but still discusses evidence and possible trial strategies with the lawyer. He understands the charges and the potential penalties.
Capable to proceed
During the sentencing hearing following a guilty verdict, the defense attorney calls a community member to the stand. The witness was not involved in the investigation, did not observe the arrest, and has no knowledge of the evidence presented at the jury trial. Instead, the witness provides testimony about the defendant’s reputation for honesty and peaceful behavior in the community. The prosecutor objects, arguing the testimony is not about the crime itself, but the judge allows it to remain on the record while considering whether probation may be appropriate.
Character Witness
During trial, the prosecutor attempts to introduce a recorded interview from a witness who has since moved overseas. Defense counsel immediately objects and asks for a sidebar, arguing that admitting the recording would deny the defendant the opportunity to cross-examine the witness in open court.
Right to face your accuser
During a change-of-plea colloquy, the judge asks the defendant if he understands that by entering this plea he is admitting the conduct described in the charging document and that the court may immediately proceed to sentencing without a trial.
Guilty
During trial, the prosecutor argues that the physical evidence and witness testimony prove the defendant committed the assault. The defense attorney agrees the act occurred but introduces expert psychiatric testimony stating that the defendant was suffering from severe delusions and believed he was defending himself from imaginary attackers. After considering both the evidence and the mental health evaluations, the jury returns a verdict acknowledging the act but finding the defendant not criminally responsible due to an intellectual disability.
Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
During a competency evaluation, the defendant states that he understands people in the courtroom are called judges and lawyers, but he cannot explain the charges, the possible outcomes of the case, or how a jury trial works. When asked about working with his defense attorney, he responds that there is no reason to prepare a defense because the court does not have authority over him.
Incapable to proceed