Test Your Knowledge: Do You Know These Basic Courtroom Legal Terms?

Question 1

What Is Hearsay Evidence In A Courtroom?

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What Is Circumstantial Evidence Based On?

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What Does A Prosecutor Do In A Trial?

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What Is Someone Doing If They Plead The Fifth?

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What Is A Verdict In A Court Case?

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What Does It Mean To Be Acquitted At Trial?

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What Is Someone Doing If They Perjure Themselves?

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What Does A Defense Attorney Do For Their Client?

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Which Of These Is Direct Evidence In Court?

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What Does Beyond A Reasonable Doubt Actually Mean?

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What Is A Grand Jury Asked To Decide?

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What Does It Mean When A Case Is Dismissed?

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What Is Someone Doing If They Testify In Court?

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What Is A Subpoena Used For In A Trial?

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What Does It Mean When A Jury Is Hung?

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What Is An Alibi In A Criminal Case?

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What Is Someone Doing If They Appeal A Conviction?

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What Does It Mean To Enter A Plea Bargain?

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What Is Someone Doing If They Are Held In Contempt?

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What Is The Role Of An Expert Witness At Trial?

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What Is A Witness Who Saw The Crime Called?

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What Does It Mean When A Lawyer Objects In Court?

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Which Of These Is An Example Of Circumstantial Evidence?

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What Is The Opening Statement In A Trial Used For?

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What Does It Mean When Evidence Is Inadmissible In Court?

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What Is Someone Doing If They Cross-Examine A Witness?

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What Does It Mean When A Lawyer Rests Their Case?

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What Is The Closing Argument In A Trial Meant To Do?

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What Is Someone Doing If They Are Granted Immunity In Court?

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What Does It Mean When A Judge Issues A Bench Warrant?

1

Secondhand Information

2

Physical Proof

3

Expert Opinion

4

Eyewitness Testimony

Hearsay is what someone heard another person say and it is generally not allowed in court.

1

Lab Test Results

2

Video Recordings

3

Indirect Clues

4

Signed Confessions

Circumstantial evidence asks a jury to connect dots rather than observe a crime directly.

1

Decides The Verdict

2

Argues The Case

3

Defends The Accused

4

Selects The Jury

Prosecutors represent the government and their job is to prove the defendant is guilty.

1

Refusing To Answer

2

Appealing A Decision

3

Changing Their Story

4

Asking For A Lawyer

The Fifth Amendment protects Americans from being forced to say anything that could incriminate themselves.

1

The Final Decision

2

The Opening Statement

3

The Sentencing Hearing

4

The Filed Complaint

The word verdict comes from Latin meaning to speak the truth and juries have used it for centuries.

1

Found Not Guilty

2

Released On Bail

3

Fined By The Judge

4

Sent To Prison

An acquittal means the jury decided the prosecution did not prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

1

Lying Under Oath

2

Skipping A Hearing

3

Bribing A Witness

4

Hiding Key Evidence

Perjury is a serious crime and people have gone to prison for lying after swearing to tell the truth.

1

Reviews The Appeal

2

Instructs The Jury

3

Presents The Charges

4

Protects Their Rights

Even people who seem obviously guilty are entitled to a defense attorney under the US Constitution.

1

A Suspicious Receipt

2

A Muddy Footprint

3

A Witness Saw It

4

A Nearby Motive

Direct evidence does not require any inference because someone personally observed the event happen.

1

Nearly Certain Of Guilt

2

Proven With A Confession

3

Slightly More Likely

4

Agreed On By Everyone

Jurors do not need absolute certainty but they must be firmly convinced before voting guilty.

1

The Sentencing Terms

2

Whether To Convict

3

Whether To Indict

4

The Bail Amount

A grand jury never decides guilt — it only decides if enough evidence exists to bring charges.

1

Charges Are Dropped

2

Jury Is Replaced

3

Defendant Is Guilty

4

Trial Is Postponed

Judges can dismiss a case before trial even begins if the evidence is too weak to proceed.

1

Entering A Plea

2

Filing A Lawsuit

3

Giving Sworn Statements

4

Selecting The Jury

Witnesses raise their right hand and swear an oath before testifying making lying a crime.

1

Forcing Someone To Appear

2

Requesting A New Judge

3

Delaying The Verdict

4

Sealing Court Records

Ignoring a subpoena is illegal and can land someone in jail for contempt of court.

1

They Cannot Agree

2

They Were Dismissed Early

3

They Requested More Evidence

4

They Found Someone Guilty

A hung jury means the case can be retried entirely because no unanimous verdict was reached.

1

An Expert Opinion

2

A Character Reference

3

A Written Confession

4

Proof You Were Elsewhere

The word alibi comes from Latin meaning elsewhere and has been used in courts for centuries.

1

Admitting Their Guilt

2

Challenging The Ruling

3

Waiving Their Rights

4

Requesting A Pardon

Appeals go to a higher court and can overturn convictions if legal errors were made during trial.

1

Calling A New Witness

2

Agreeing To A Deal

3

Appealing The Sentence

4

Demanding A Jury Trial

Around 90 percent of criminal cases in the US are resolved through plea bargains before trial.

1

Entering A Guilty Plea

2

Defying The Court

3

Requesting A Recess

4

Waiving Their Sentence

Judges can immediately fine or jail someone for contempt without a separate trial being needed.

1

Deciding The Verdict

2

Selecting The Jury

3

Cross-Examining Suspects

4

Explaining Technical Facts

Expert witnesses can be paid thousands of dollars per day and both sides often hire their own.

1

Expert Witness

2

Eyewitness

3

Hostile Witness

4

Character Witness

Eyewitness testimony is considered direct evidence because the person personally observed the event firsthand.

1

Requests A Recess

2

Rests Their Case

3

Calls A Witness

4

Challenges A Question

Lawyers have only seconds to object and a judge can sustain or overrule the challenge instantly.

1

A Signed Confession

2

A Security Camera Video

3

Muddy Boots Found Nearby

4

A Witness Description

Muddy boots near a crime scene suggest involvement but do not directly prove who committed the act.

1

Delivering The Verdict

2

Previewing The Case

3

Presenting Evidence

4

Questioning Witnesses

Opening statements are not evidence themselves but give jurors a roadmap of what each side plans to prove.

1

It Must Be Reviewed

2

It Cannot Be Used

3

It Supports The Jury

4

It Proves Innocence

Evidence obtained illegally like during an unlawful search is often thrown out to protect constitutional rights.

1

Questioning The Other Side

2

Reading Their Statement

3

Swearing Them In

4

Dismissing Their Testimony

Cross-examination is one of the most powerful tools in a trial and can completely change how a jury views a witness.

1

They Call A New Witness

2

They Are Done Presenting

3

They Change Their Argument

4

They Request A Delay

Once a lawyer rests their case the other side gets their turn and no new evidence can be added from that party.

1

Persuade The Jury

2

Dismiss The Charges

3

Introduce New Evidence

4

Question The Judge

Closing arguments are the last words jurors hear before deliberating and great lawyers treat them like a final speech.

1

Released On Bail

2

Cleared Of All Charges

3

Protected From Prosecution

4

Placed In Witness Protection

Prosecutors often offer immunity to smaller players in a crime in exchange for testimony against bigger targets.

1

Schedules A New Hearing

2

Orders Someone Arrested

3

Ends The Trial Early

4

Seals The Court Records

Missing a court date is one of the most common reasons a judge issues a bench warrant for immediate arrest.

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Think you know your way around a courtroom? Most people throw around legal terms like they passed the bar exam but the truth might just surprise you. Put your legal instincts to the test and see if you really have what it takes.

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