Legal Terms and Court Procedures: Jury, Verdict, and Criminal Law

hung jury

jury that cannot agree on a verdict

foreman

a worker supervising other workers

deliberations

long and careful consideration/discussion

acquit

someone being not guilty of a crime

unanimous

fully in agreement

abstain

to choose not to do something

alibi

a claim/evidence that a person was somewhere else when a crime happened

defendant

the person being accused or sued in a court case

motive

the reason someone does something

prosecution

to deliberately choose not to do something, especially not to vote or not to participate

homicide

the act of killing another person

coroner

an official who investigates death, especially those happening under unusual or suspicious circumstances

testimony

a formal statement given by a witness, usually in court

burden of proof

the responsibility to prove a claim or accusation in a legal case

prejury

the crime of lying after promising to tell the truth, especially in court

due process

the legal requirement that the government must respect all legal rights owed to a person

alleged

claimed or stated to be true, but not yet proven

convict (v)

to find someone guilty of a crime in ima court of law

verdict

the decision made by a story or a judge in a court case

double jeopardy

the legal principle that a person cannot be tried twice for the same case

premeditate

to plan or think about a crime before committing