Innocent until proven guilty - Rule that it is the state’s responsibility to prove guilt (because defendant is assumed to be innocent); the suspect does not have to prove innocence., beyond a reasonable doubt - rule that jurors can only find the defendant guilty if they are convinced 100% of his or her guilt, leaving no room for doubt of the defendant’s innocence, double jeopardy - rule that a person cannot be tried twice for the same crime (even if evidence arises later that proves that person is guilty), burden of proof - the duty of the prosecution to prove the facts necessary to win their case, defendant - the person who has been accused of doing something illegal (innocent until proven guilty), defence attorney - the lawyer who tries to prove innocence of the defendant, prosecution attorney - the lawyer who tries to prove the guilt of the defendant. (represents the state), witness - someone who tells what they saw or what they know about a crime in a court of law, jury - a group of twelve people who listen to details of a case in court and decide if someone is guilty. (juror =single member of a jury), foreman - a juror chosen to lead a jury and deliver the verdict to the judge, hung jury - a jury which cannot reach a unanimous verdict; a hung jury would require a retrial., acquit - to find the defendant innocent, convict - to find the defendant guilty of the crime, cross-examine - to question a witness who has already testified for the opposite side, deliberate - to consider or discuss carefully, perjury - the act of lying under oath in court, premeditate - to plan or plot [a crime] in advance, take/plead the Fifth - to refuse to testify when doing so might incriminate that witness in a crime (based on the 14th Amendment which states that a person cannot be forced to testify against himself), alibi - an excuse used by the defendant to prove he/she was elsewhere when the crime was committed, testimony - the formal statement/story provided by a witness in a court of law., trial - a legal process in which a court of law examines a case, verdict - the final decision made by a jury about whether or not someone is guilty, homicide - the killing of one person by another, first degree murder - the most serious type of murder in which someone deliberately kills someone else (premeditated murder), second degree murder - 1) intentional killing that is neither planned nor committed in a "heat of passion" or 2) a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender's obvious lack of concern for human life., manslaughter - unlawful killing of a person, without hatred or premeditation,

Legal Terminology

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