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| Chief legal officer of a state, responsible for both civil and criminal matter. |
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| An entry, made by a prosecutor on the record of a case and announced in court, indicating that the charges specified will not be prosecuted. In effect, the charges are thereby dismissed. |
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| The geographic territory or legal boundaries within which control may be exercised; the range of a court's authority. |
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| Norms shared by members of a court community as to how cases should be handled and how a participant should behave in the judicial process. |
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| An election in which candidates openly endorsed by political parties are presented to voters for selection. |
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| An attorney employed on a full-time, salaried basis by a public or private nonprofit organization to represent indigents. |
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| A prosecutor's pretrial disclosure to the defense of facts and evidence to be introduced at trial. |
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| An attorney in private practice who contracts with the government to represent all indigent defendants in a county during a set period of time and for a specified dollar amount |
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| A collection of individuals who interact in the workplace on a continuing basis, share goals, develop norms regarding how activities should be carried out, and eventually establish a network of roles, which differentiates the group from others, and facilitates cooperation. |
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| trial courts of general jurisdiction |
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| Criminal courts with jurisdiction over all offenses, including felonies. In some states, these courts also hear appeals. |
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| A legal representative of the state with sole responsibility for bringing criminal charges. In some states, this person is referred to as the district attorney, state's attorney, commonwealth attorney, or county attorney. |
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| An election in which candidates' party affiliations are not listed on the ballot |
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| Local court officials' shared view of the appropriate sentence for the offense, the defendant's prior record, and other case characteristics. |
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| The lawyer who represents accused offenders and convicted offenders in their dealings with criminal justice. |
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| Court process, employed in the United States and other former British colonies, in which lawyers for each side represent their clients' best interests in presenting evidence and formulating arguments as a means to discover the truth and protect the rights of defendants. |
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| A reform plan by which judges are nominated by a commission and appointed by the governor for a given period. When the term expires, the voters approve or disapprove the judge for a succeeding term. If the judge is disapproved, the committee nominates a successor for the governor's appointment. |
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| An attorney in private practice assigned by a court to represent an indigent. The attorney's fee is paid by the government with jurisdiction over the case. |
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| Lower-level local courts dedicated to addressing particular social problems or troubled populations. Examples of such courts include drug courts, domestic violence courts, and mental health courts. |
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| An adjournment of a scheduled case until a later date. |
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| trial courts of limited jurisdiction |
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| Criminal courts with trial jurisdiction over misdemeanor cases and preliminary matters in felony cases. Sometimes these courts hold felony trials that may result in penalties below a specific limit. |
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| Court process, employed in most countries of the world, in which the judge takes an active role in investigating the case and examining evidence by, for example, questioning witnesses. |
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| Courts that do not try criminal cases but hear appeals of decisions of lower courts. |
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| The series of events from the arrest of a suspect to the filing of a formal charge (through an indictment or information) with the court. |
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| Each separate offense of which a person is accused in an indictment or an information |
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| Officials responsible for the prosecution of crimes that violate the laws of the United States. Appointed by the president and assigned to a U.S. district court jurisdiction. |
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