Across
- 2. considered a reviewing court and determine appeals from the decisions of the trial courts; are generally called Supreme Courts of the State as they are the highest level of court system within a state
- 4. party initiating a lawsuit against an organization or individual
- 6. decide more than 95 percent of the nation’s legal cases; can handle cases which may appeal all the way to the federal court level if a federal issue is
- 8. attorney who is hired or appointed by the state or federal government to represent the plaintiff or the state
- 10. represents the defendant and ensures the defendant is protected according to the law
- 13. argument between the two parties regarding the events which took place and caused the lawsuit to arise
- 15. series of formal, written statements in which the plaintiff and defendant both state claims for defense regarding the matter being disputed
- 19. reasonable doubt is not required
- 20. dispute between two or more parties consisting of the first party, or plaintiff accusing the second party, or defendant, of causing injury or damage to the
- 21. officer in charge of the court proceeding; ensures all evidence used in the trial is legal, instructs the jury and typically provides the sentence when a defendant is convicted
- 22. are divided into trial courts and appellate courts
- 23. hear all criminal cases other than minor offenses; can also be called county, district, superior, circuit or common pleas courts; keep thorough formal records of proceedings in order to have documentation if needed for appeals; do not have a limitation on the dollar amount of damages
Down
- 1. responsible for deciding what is true in a case and in a criminal case, deciding whether or not the defendant has committed a crime
- 3. only hear civil cases; hear cases involving a limited amount of money; only allow damages of up to $3,000 to be recovered
- 5. neutral panels established by government agencies to settle a variety of disputes among different parties of people and businesses
- 7. records the official record of the trial; these word-for-word transcripts are used in appeals
- 9. argument between the two parties in regards to which legal rules apply to the facts stated in the pleading
- 11. when one party fails to perform under the requirements of a valid agreement with another party (contracts can be written or verbal)
- 12. law has been broken requiring the state to bring charges against the offender; there must not be any reasonable doubt of guilt
- 14. person against whom a crime has been committed
- 16. party denying or defending against allegations made by the plaintiff
- 17. court officer responsible for giving out subpoenas, escorting defendants from jail to the courtroom, representing the jury to the judge and protecting safety of all in the courtroom
- 18. transfer of a case from a lower to a higher level for a new hearing