Vocabulary
Study the following vocabulary.
The court system
trial – a formal examination of evidence in a court of law by a judge and sometimes by a jury to determine if a person, company, etc. is guilty of a particular crime
lawsuit – the process of bringing a dispute or claim before a court of law in order to have it settled
civil law – non-criminal area of law dealing with the rights of private citizens and certain economic issues such as contracts and agreements
defendant – a person accused in a legal case
prosecute – to bring a criminal charge against a person in a court of law
jury – a group of ordinary citizens who have been selected to listen to the facts of a case and to decide whether the accused person is guilty or not
convict – to decide and declare in a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime
acquit – to decide and declare in a court of law that someone is not guilty of a crime
appeal – a request for a legal case that has been resolved to be judged again by a higher court
sentence – to give out punishment as a result of convicting someone of a crime, or the type and length of the punishment itself