"Accused" is a person who has been arrested for or formally charged with a crime. It is a generic name for the defendant in a criminal case.
This case from Tennessee, explains that a person becomes "accused" for purposes of...
criminal law
acknowledge
1) To accept, recognize, confirm, or admit the existence or truth of something.
2) To validate an identity or claim.
3) To authenticate an instrument or writing by declaration or statement under oath by...
acknowledgment
Acknowledgement refers to a formal declaration before an official that one has executed a particular legal document. Some common usages of the term “acknowledgement” in a legal sense include:
Cases such as this one from Nebraska,...acquit
Acquit means to set free, release or discharge as from an obligation, burden, or accusation. It is what a jury or a judge sitting without a jury does at the end of a criminal trial, if the jury or the judge finds the accused defendant not...
acquittal
An acquittal is a resolution of some or all of the factual elements of the offense charged. The trier of fact, whether the jury or the court, must render a verdict of finding not guilty of the charged offense. A not guilty finding is an...
act
An act in the legal sense refers to either a voluntary bodily movement or a term for a body of law/proposed law.
In the criminal law context, an act is part of the concept of actus reus and, therefore, is a prerequisite to...
act of God
An act of God refers to a severe, unanticipated natural event for which no human is responsible. Despite its facial religious connections, the usefulness of the term means “act of God” is frequently used in otherwise secular statutory and...
act of nature
Act of nature, also known as act of God, is an event that is caused solely by the forces of nature without human intervention. Any accident that is not under human control, influence, or human involvement, and is caused purely by the direct,...
actual cause
Actual cause is a necessary element for both liability in civil cases and a guilty verdict under much of criminal law. In both civil and criminal cases, actual cause is determined by the but-for cause test; however, some jurisdictions also...
actual innocence
Actual innocence refers to a failure of proof defense arguing that the prosecution failed to prove all relevant elements of a charged crime beyond a reasonable doubt.
Unlike affirmative defenses, which all argue the...