Trial courts are any courts that hear a case first, referred to as courts of original jurisdiction. A trial court makes both findings of fact and law through a full trial expounding the evidence of the case. The findings of law may be...
courts and procedure
trial de novo
A trial de novo is a new trial on an entire case, where both questions of fact and issues of law are determined as if there had been no trial in the first instance. A trial de novo is typically used to challenge awards found in arbitration...
trial judge
Trial judge is the judge of a trial court. Cases must be heard by the trial judge before reaching appellate courts. The trial judge will decide motions to dismiss, rule on whether evidence is admissible or not, empanel the jury, preside over...
trial practice
trial practice: an overview
Only a small percentage of legal disputes are litigated in a court. When litigation does occur, several areas govern the lawyers' conduct of the trial or trial practice:
Criminal procedure Civil procedure...turn state's evidence
Turn state’s evidence (also known as “turn King’s evidence”) or to "flip” means the defendant chose to reveal valuable evidence to the prosecutor, in exchange for a reduction of the charge or the dismissal of some charges. When the defendant...
undocumented immigrant
Undocumented immigrants are individuals who have either illegally entered the United States without inspection, or legally entered the United States with valid nonimmigrant visas but those visas have expired. For instance, an individual...
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (USCAAF)
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (USCAAF) is a federal appellate court which exercises exclusive and worldwide jurisdiction over active members of the armed forces subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The USCAAF...
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is a federal appellate court which has exclusive national jurisdiction to review decisions of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA).
The Court was created under Article I of...
United States Marshals Service (USMS)
The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Department of Justice federal law enforcement agency charged with ensuring the effective operation of the federal judiciary. The President appoints a U.S. Marshal for each federal district....
unreasonable
The term “unreasonable” refers to any action or result that exceeds a reasonable expectation, or refers to anything beyond what would be considered “common sense.” In criminal cases, the prosecutor should explain the evidence so clearly that...