Corroborating witness is a person whose testimony supports or confirms the testimony already given by someone in a current case. A corroborating witness supporting a testimony made by a party is an essential requirement in certain types of...
evidence
court witness
A court witness is an individual called to testify or provide evidence in a trial.
Court witnesses usually possess knowledge or proof that is relevant to the facts of a suit, and they convey their relevant knowledge as lay...
credibility
Credibility is the capacity for being believed; the quality that renders something (testimony, evidence, a witness, etc.) worthy of belief; believability.
[Last updated in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]
credible witness
A credible witness is a witness who comes across as competent and worthy of belief. Their testimony is assumed to be more than likely true due to their experience, knowledge, training, and sense of honesty. The judge and jurors will use these...
criminal forfeiture
Criminal forfeiture is an in personam proceeding brought by the criminal prosecution against an offender, resulting in the forfeiture of the offender’s property, assets, and proceeds directly or indirectly obtained from the criminal activity...
criminal insanity
Criminal insanity refers to a mental illness or disease that makes it impossible for a defendant to know they were committing a crime or to understand that their actions are wrong. A defendant found to be criminally insane can assert an...
criminal intent
Criminal intent, also known as mens rea, refers to the mental state required to convict a party of a crime. Along with a criminal act, or the actus reus, criminal intent is one of the fundamental aspects of criminal law.
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criminal justice
Criminal justice is an umbrella term that refers to the laws, procedures, institutions, and policies at play before, during, and after the commission of a crime. As a modern concept, criminal justice expresses two central ideas:
...cross-examination
Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary
At trial, the opportunity to question any witness who testifies on behalf of any other party to the lawsuit (in civil cases) or for the prosecution or other codefendants (in criminal cases). The...
CSI effect
The CSI effect refers to television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Law & Order, and 48 Hours Mystery, and the impact they have on jurors. It is said that jurors who watch these types of shows may place a heavy emphasis on...