Street Law - Trial Vocabulary

Prosecutor

Prosecutor

person representing the government in a criminal case

Plaintiff

person initiating the complaint in a civil trial

Trier of Fact

judge or jury

Evidence

Proof; documents, items, testimony

Civil Case

brought by someone alleging another person did something harmful or failed to do something they had a duty to do

Alibi

evidence showing defendant was not at crime scene

Beyond a reasonable doubt

burden of proof in a criminal case

Discovery

process of sharing information/evidence before trial

Affidavit

written statement made by witness before trial

Defendant

the party accused of crime or subject of complaint in a lawsuit

Trial

Adversarial process to resolve conflict

Preponderance of the evidence

BURDEN OF PROOF IN CIVIL CASE: The standard of proof in which a judge or jury must believe the plaintiff's story/evidence is stronger than defendant's version.

Impeachment

questioning the credibility of witnesses

Criminal Case

brought by the government against a person accused of breaking a law

Testimony

explanation of what witness said/heard/did/experianced