Law Basics
What is the highest court in the United States?
What is the Supreme Court (of the United States)?
Sometimes written as "SCOTUS"
This person commits a crime and is the main actor in a criminal act
Who is the principal?
What is the name of the people in a courtroom who listen to the trial and decide the final verdict?
What is the jury/the jurors?
This is the name of someone who files a legal complaint against another person/group of people
What is the plaintiff?
This objection is raised when an attorney is attacking a witness instead of asking proper questions.
What is badgering the witness?
This type of law deals with disputes between individuals or organizations
What is civil law?
What crime involves unlawfully entering a building with the intent to commit a crime?
What is burglary?
In a trial, this is the side who has the burden of proof, and always goes first.
Who is the prosecution/plaintiff?
A wrongful act that causes harm to another and can lead to legal liability
What is a tort?
This objection is used when a question has already been answered, and the attorney asks it again.
What is asked and answered?
What is the standard of proof used in a criminal case?
What is beyond a reasonable doubt?
This is the term for a murder that was planned out beforehand and done with malice
What is first degree murder?
What is the purpose of an opening statement in a trial?
What is to outline the facts and specific evidence each side plans to present in the trial?
What defense might a defendant use if the injured person voluntarily took a known risk?
What is assumption of risk?
This objection challenges a question that assumes facts not yet proven or witnessed firsthand.
What is speculation (firsthand knowledge)?
This legal term refers to the authority of a court to hear a case
What is jurisdiction?
What is embezzlement?
These questions should be asked at the beginning of direct examination and are meant to establish who the witness is and their relationship to the case.
What are foundation questions?
Name the three types of torts and describe each.
Intentional Torts – Actions done on purpose to harm another person, such as assault, battery, or defamation.
Negligence – Harm caused by careless behavior or failure to act as a reasonable person would.
Strict Liability – Harm caused without needing to prove intent or negligence, often involving dangerous activities or defective products.
This objection applies when the testimony or question is not related or connected to the case at hand.
What is relevance?
A previous court decision used as a rule for future cases is called this
What is precedent?
What are the steps after arrest in the criminal justice process?
What are booking, first appearance, preliminary hearing, arraignment then sentencing?
Describe the differences between direct and cross examination
Direct examination is done by the attorney who called the witness and is meant to show that the defendant is guilty.
Cross examination is done by the opposing sides attorney and is meant to question the reliability of the witness.
These are the 4 elements that need to be proven in a negligence case.
What are duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages?
The attorney asks a question during cross-examination that brings up a completely new topic not covered in the witness's direct testimony.
What is outside the scope of direct/cross examination?