GETTING READY FOR TRIAL

CRIMINAL

• defendant will gets shorter sentence/less harsh punishment by accepting responsibility.
• By pleading guilty the prosecutor may agree to drop some of the charges if the dependent admits guilty.

FEDERAL CIVIL CASES

• Judge required the parties to attempt to reach a settlement.
• The judge may refer the parties to atlernative dispute resolution mediation.

VOCABULARY

• Plaintiff- person or party who files the complaint in a civil case.
• Precedent- a legal decision that establishes a principle or rule
• Pretrial- actions that occur before the start of trial
• Privacy- government non-interference in your daily life
• Jurisdiction-the power of a court to hear and decide a case

MORE VOCABULARY

• Law- rules that give direction to add people living in a community
• Mediation- a kind of alternative dispute resolution
• Oath- refers to the affirmation of truth
• Opinion- a written statement that explains a judges decision

NOTES

• A person or entity files a civil complaint
• After the complaint the judge meets with lawyers to work out a schedule
• To prepare for trial, both sides will conduct discovery
• Motions asks judge to exclude evidence from being used by the other side