Arraignment A proceeding in which a criminal defendant is brought into court, told of the charges in an indictment or information, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
Law
Concurrent Sentence | Legal Definition & Example
Concurrent sentence Prison terms for two or more offenses to be served at the same time, rather than one after the other. Two five-year sentences and one three-year sentence, if served concurrently, results in a maximum of five year behind the bar.
Consecutive Sentence | Legal Definition & Example
Consecutive sentence Prison terms for two or more offenses to be served one after the other. Two five year sentences and one three year sentence, if served consecutively, result in a maximum of 13 years behind the bar.
Burden of Proof | Meaning & Definition in Law
Burden of Proof The duty to prove disputed facts. In civil cases, a plaintiff generally has the burden of proving his or her case. In criminal cases, the government or the prosecution has the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt.
Amicus Curiae | Definition & Meaning
Amicus Curiae It is a Latin term which means “Friend of the court”. It is advice formally offered to the court in a brief filed an entity interested in, but not a party to the case.
Acquittal | Definition & Meaning of Legal Term
Acquittal A jury verdict that a criminal defendant is not guilty, or the finding of a judge that the evidence is insufficient to support a conviction. The term was first used in common law which implies that an accused is free from the charges leveled against him.