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| attorney and government official who represents the people against persons accused of committing criminal acts |
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| attorney and government official who prosecutes cases at the federal level |
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| United States attorney general |
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| Highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice |
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| chief legal officer of the state; state counterpart to the U.s. attorney general |
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| defense attorney (in criminal cases) |
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| lawyer retained by an individual accused of committing a crime or assigned by the court if the individual is unable to pay |
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| judge appoints a private lawyer selected from a list of attorneys to represent indigent defendants in criminal proceedings |
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| public or nonprofit organizations (with staff) provide defense services to indigent defendants |
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| private attorneys from law firms or local bar associations provide defense services to indigent defendants. |
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| public officers lawfully instituted (by appointment or election) to decide litigated questions according to law, presiding in a court of law |
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| chief administrative officer of the court, usually appointed by the state court of last resort, the chief justice of the court of last resort, or a judicial council |
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| removal of the defendant from the normal path of the criminal justice process to an alternative path (for example, a treatment program) |
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| security given to ensure the reappearance of a defendant, in order to obtain his or her release from imprisonment. |
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| private business operators, paid by the defendant, who post the amount required by the court to secure the release from imprisonment |
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| release on recognizance (ROR) |
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| release of a defendant on his or her promise to return to court as required |
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| pretrial incarceration of an accused deemed dangerous |
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| accusation against a criminal defendant prepared by a prosecuting attorney |
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| accusation against a criminal defendant rendered by a grand jury on the basis of evidence constituting a prima facie case |
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| response to a criminal charge. traditional pleas are guilty, not guilty, nolo contendere, and not guilty by reason of insanity |
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| first stage of the trial process, at which the indictment or information is read in open court and the defendant is requested to respond thereto |
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| defendant pleads no contest (admits criminal liability for purposes of this proceeding only) |
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| agreement made between defense and prosecution for certain leniencies in return for a guilty plea |
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| body of persons legally selected and sworn to inquire into any matter of fact and to give their verdict according to the evidence |
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| process in which lawyers and a judge question potential jurors to select those who are acceptable |
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| challenges (limited in number) by which a potential juror may be dismissed by either the prosecution or the defense without assignment of reason |
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| challenge to remove a potential juror because of his or her inability to render a fair and impartial decision in a case |
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| oral or written request to a judge, asking the court to make a specified ruling, finding, decision, or order; may be presented at any appropriate moment from arrest until the end of the trial |
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| judicial finding or jury verdict finding the defendant not guilty of the crime changed |
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| in criminal cases, the legal obligation of the prosecution to prove the charges against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt |
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