You've seen them before in movies and TV shows. Maybe from Meet the Parents, Seinfeld, or Vanity Fair. A lot of people know about polygraph tests, but few people understand how they work. Maybe you've even heard that some states and districts no longer admit their results as evidence in a trial! If you face [...]
For the past couple of weeks we've examined different types of evidence. We've contrasted hearsay and circumstantial evidence and physical and circumstantial evidence. Now, it's important we take a step back. All sorts of categories exist for understanding evidence. But we need to look at the two broadest ways of categorizing evidence. This includes understanding [...]
Last week, we took a look at the differences between hearsay and circumstantial evidence. In that article, we briefly defined the differences between physical evidence and circumstantial evidence. However, we feel it may be helpful to our readers to double back and provide further clarity on physical and circumstantial evidence. This type of information can [...]
We've discussed what "beyond a reasonable doubt" means several times before, here and here. However, it's necessary in this case to show the connection between this idea and "innocent until proven guilty." If you recall from last week, this phrase means that the court needs to assume the innocence of the accused until the facts [...]
Over the past couple of weeks, we've talked about courtroom personnel and how the courtroom process works. These have all been part of our series where we explain the most pieces of the legal process and how it works. After all, the more you know the more you can help your case. With that in [...]
So, in the past we've written several posts on legal jargon to help you understand certain legal concepts. We've also written about basic courtroom etiquette and procedures. With that in mind, this week we're beginning a new series on the most basic parts and proceedings of a courtroom. After all, if you're someone who doesn't [...]