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Lesson 1- Law words

Word List with 27 words
By Morgan

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Words in This List

indictment

a formal written accusation of a crime

subpoena

a written order summoning a person to a court to give testimony

statute

a law passed by a duly authorized law-making body

culprit

one who is guilty of a crime

affidavit

a written statement under oath

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plaintiff

the person who makes the complaint in a lawsuit

reprieve

a temporary delay in carrying out a sentence

arraign

to call before a court to answer a formal charge

contraband

smuggled goods

disbar

to expel from the practice of law

accessory before the fact

helps culprit before they commit felony

accessory after the fact

helps culprit after they have already committed felony

quitclaim

to quit or give up claim to (a possession, right, etc.).

acquit

to relieve from a charge of fault or crime; declare not guilty

shyster

a lawyer who uses unprofessional or questionable methods.

barrister

(in England) a lawyer who is a member of one of the Inns of Court and who has the privilege of pleading in the higher courts.

writ

a formal order under seal, issued in the name of a sovereign, government, court, or other competent authority, enjoining the officer or other person to whom it is issued or addressed to do or refrain from some specified act.

impeach

to accuse (a public official) before an appropriate tribunal of misconduct in office.

convict

to prove or declare guilty of an offense, especially after a legal trial

plea

an appeal or entreaty

misdemeanor

a criminal offense defined as less serious than a felony.

felony

an offense, as murder or burglary, of graver character than those called misdemeanors, especially those commonly punished in the U.S. by imprisonment for more than a year.

change of venue

the removal of a trial to another jurisdiction.

petty jury

(in a civil or criminal proceeding) a jury, usually of 12 persons, impaneled to determine the facts and render a verdict pursuant to the court's instructions on the law.

grand jury

a jury, at common law, of 12 to 23 persons, designated to inquire into alleged violations of the law in order to ascertain whether the evidence is sufficient to warrant trial.

hung jury

a jury that cannot agree on a verdict.

double jeopardy

the subjecting of a person to a second trial or punishment for the same offense for which the person has already been tried or punished.