INDEX:
1. the place where crimes or legal problems are judged
2. the parts of the legal process
3. the people in the legal process
4. to bring someone to court to be judged
5. to be judged in a court of law
6. when a legal case is judged in court
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ CRIME
↑ PUNISH
↑ ACCUSE
↑ PROVE
↑ PRISON
↑ LAW
↑ JUDGE
↑ GUILTY
↑ INNOCENT
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1. the place where crimes or legal problems are judged
▷ court also courthouse especially American /kɔːʳt, ˈkɔːʳthaʊs/ [countable noun]
a building where legal cases are officially judged :
▪ A group of photographers and reporters gathered outside the court.
▪ the United States Supreme Court
appear in court/appear before a court
▪ Benton appeared in court yesterday on three charges of assault.
go to court
officially ask to have a legal problem dealt with in a law court
▪ She says she will go to court to try to prove that she was unfairly dismissed from her job.
▷ courtroom /ˈkɔːʳtrʊm, -ruːm/ [countable noun]
a room where legal cases are officially judged :
▪ A fight broke out in a London courtroom yesterday.
packed courtroom
full of people
▪ Roberts told a packed courtroom of the events that occurred on the night of the murder.
2. the parts of the legal process
▷ trial /ˈtraɪəl/ [countable noun]
a legal process in a court, in which people try out find out whether or not someone is guilty of a crime :
▪ The trial is due to take place next month at Wood Green Crown Court.
be on trial (for something)
to be judged in a court
▪ A man from Seattle is on trial for the murder.
go on trial
to begin being judged in a court
▪ A man was due to go on trial at Liverpool Crown Court later today accused of murdering his wife.
awaiting trial
to be waiting for your trial to start
▪ Drake is in a federal prison in Houston, awaiting trial on charges of cocaine trafficking.
face trial
wait for your trial to start
▪ Perelli faces trial later in the year on corruption and perjury charges.
murder/rape/robbery etc trial
▪ On Tuesday, a judge rejected requests to televise the murder trial of Robert Caine.
▷ case /keɪs/ [countable noun]
a particular crime or legal problem that is judged in court :
▪ They lost their case in the High Court and had to pay damages.
murder/robbery/rape etc case
▪ Mathers called it the worst multiple murder case in the city’s history.
▷ charge /tʃɑːʳdʒ/ [countable noun]
an official statement made by the police, saying someone has done something illegal :
criminal charges
official statements saying that someone has done something illegal
▪ Criminal charges were filed in October against Sorvino by the District Attorney’s office.
file charges (against somebody)
start a legal process against someone
▪ On Tuesday, the police officially filed charges against Jeffers.
murder/burglary/rape etc charges
▪ San Francisco police have arrested a 39-year-old man on murder charges.
▷ evidence /ˈevɪd ə ns, ˈevəd ə ns/ [uncountable noun]
the information, objects, documents etc that are used in a court to help to prove what really happened in a legal case :
▪ Prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to convict Smith.
▪ The government’s case was based on evidence gathered over a two-year investigation.
▪ The evidence proves clearly and beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty.
piece of evidence
▪ The most important piece of evidence, the murder weapon, has not been found.
give evidence
tell a court what you know about a crime
▪ His former girlfriend was called to give evidence.
give evidence against somebody
tell the court things that help to prove someone is guilty
▪ Husbands and wives cannot be forced to give evidence against each other.
▷ verdict /ˈvɜːʳdɪkt/ [countable noun]
the decision that a judge or jury makes about whether someone is guilty of a crime or not :
guilty/not guilty verdict
▪ The jury’s not guilty verdict was criticized all over the country.
reach a verdict
finally decide whether someone is guilty or not
▪ Jurors were unable to reach a verdict after deliberating two hours Friday afternoon.
return/hand down a verdict
officially say whether someone is guilty or not
▪ The judge will hand down a verdict in January, the newspaper reported.
▷ sentence /ˈsentəns/ [countable noun]
the official punishment that someone is given by a judge when a court decides that they are guilty of a crime, especially a period of time in prison :
a 7 year/6 month etc sentence
when someone has to go to prison for 7 years, 6 months etc
▪ Neale is finishing a three-month sentence for petty theft.
maximum/minimum sentence
the longest or shortest time that someone can be sent to prison for a crime
▪ If convicted of the charges against him, Blackburn could receive a maximum sentence of 30 years.
pass sentence
officially say what a criminal’s punishment will be
▪ Judge Evans will pass sentence on the three men tomorrow.
life sentence
when someone is sent to prison for a very long time or for the rest of their life
▪ Croy is currently serving a life sentence for the 1992 rape and murder of an Iowa woman.
death sentence
when the punishment is death
▪ Richardson was convicted of murder and given a death sentence.
3. the people in the legal process
▷ judge /dʒʌdʒ/ [countable noun]
the person in charge of a court, who knows a lot about the law and makes the official decision about what the punishment for a crime should be :
▪ Everyone stood up as the judge entered the courtroom.
▪ Judge Butler gave the defendant a six-month jail sentence.
▪ The judge advised the governor that the law violated the First Amendment rights of teachers.
▷ jury /ˈdʒʊəri/ [countable noun]
a group of ordinary people, who listen to the people speaking at a trial, and then decide whether or not someone is guilty of a crime :
▪ The jury was made up of seven women and five men.
▪ Have you ever been on a jury?
▪ The jury awarded Hayes $3.5 million in damages.
jury duty/service
a period of time during which you must be ready to be part of a jury if necessary
▪ I have been called for jury duty twice.
hung jury
a jury that cannot make a decision about whether someone is guilty or not
▪ Broderick’s first trial last year ended in a hung jury.
sit on a jury
be a member of a jury
▪ Are people with criminal records allowed to sit on a jury?
▷ lawyer also attorney especially American /ˈlɔːjəʳ, əˈtɜːʳni/ [countable noun]
someone who is trained in the law and who represents people in court :
▪ You have to study for a long time to become a lawyer.
▪ He refused to answer any questions until his lawyer came.
defence lawyer
British
defense laywer
American a lawyer who tries to prove that a person is not guilty of a crime
▪ Defense lawyer Charles Grieshammer said he was not surprised by the verdict.
▷ defendant /dɪˈfendənt/ [countable noun]
the person in a trial who is being judged guilty or not guilty of a crime :
▪ The defendant pleaded not guilty.
▪ According to the defendant, the heroin was destined for the New York City area.
▷ the accused /ði əˈkjuːzd/ [singular noun]
someone who is trying to prove that they are not guilty of a crime that they are on trial for :
▪ The accused is being held in the Pelham County Jail on charges of assault and battery.
▪ According to the sixth amendment, the accused has the right to a fair and public trial.
▷ the defence British /the defense American /ðə dɪˈfens/ [singular noun]
the lawyers in a court who try to prove that someone is not guilty of a crime :
▪ The defence plans to call only one witness to testify.
▪ Today, the defence makes its final presentation to the jury.
▪ Peres said the defense team would appeal the sentencing by Judge Bernardo Tirado.
▷ the prosecution /ðə ˌprɒsɪˈkjuːʃ ə nǁ-ˌprɑː-/ [singular noun]
the lawyers in a court who try to prove that someone is guilty of a crime :
▪ The prosecution’s first witness is expected to be one of the defendant’s co-workers.
▪ Speaking for the prosecution, Lipscomb said that both men should go to prison for the rest of their lives.
▷ witness /ˈwɪtnɪs, ˈwɪtnəs/ [countable noun]
someone who tells what they know about a crime in court :
▪ Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
▪ The witness was asked to identify the defendant in the courtroom.
call somebody as a witness
▪ The congressman was called as a witness for the prosecution today.
4. to bring someone to court to be judged
▷ prosecute /ˈprɒsɪkjuːtǁˈprɑː-/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to officially say that someone has broken the law and bring them to a court of law to be judged :
▪ Shoplifters will be prosecuted.
▪ The Prime Minister pledged to do everything possible to prosecute those who carried out the bombing.
prosecute somebody for something
▪ Baldwin was prosecuted in 1998 for distributing child pornography online.
prosecute a case
American
▪ Last year, Napolitano’s office prosecuted 115 child abuse cases, the highest number in the nation.
prosecution /ˌprɒsɪˈkjuːʃ ə nǁˌprɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ Failure to pay the tax may result in prosecution and imprisonment.
▷ put somebody on trial /ˌpʊt somebody ɒn ˈtraɪəl/ [verb phrase]
to officially bring someone to a court of law to be judged :
▪ A month after the murder, a man was arrested by police and put on trial.
put sb on trial for
▪ The couple were put on trial for fraud and found guilty.
5. to be judged in a court of law
▷ be tried /biː ˈtraɪd/ [verb phrase]
▪ The suspect will be tried within the next few weeks.
▪ Patterson is being tried for the murder of a 30-year-old Oakland hairdresser.
be tried for
▪ The two women are being tried for drug smuggling.
▷ be on trial /biː ɒn ˈtraɪəl/ [verb phrase]
if someone is on trial, a court of law is trying to decide whether they are guilty or a crime or not :
▪ Three men are now on trial after a series of terrorist attacks.
▪ The accused was extradited to Miami earlier this year, and is currently on trial there.
be on trial for
▪ Three men are on trial for illegally smuggling tropical birds into the country.
▷ stand trial /ˌstænd ˈtraɪəl/ [verb phrase] formal
to be judged in a court of law :
▪ The judge ruled that Pinochet was too ill to stand trial in Spain.
stand trial for
▪ Brady stood trial for the killings late last year.
stand trial on
▪ An employee of the bank is due to stand trial on embezzlement charges in February.
6. when a legal case is judged in court
▷ come to trial /ˌkʌm tə ˈtraɪəl/ [verb phrase]
if a serious legal case comes to trial, it is judged in a court of law :
▪ The case won’t come to trial until next summer.
▪ The British press is not permitted to comment on a case until it comes to trial.
▷ come/be brought before the court /ˌkʌm, biː ˌbrɔːt bɪˌfɔːʳ ðə ˈkɔːʳt/ [verb phrase]
if a legal case or a criminal comes or is brought before the court, they go to a court of law so it can be officially decided what further legal action should be taken :
▪ He thinks his case will come before the court within the next few months.
▪ The case was brought before the court by farmer Brad Morgan.
▷ be heard /biː ˈhɜːʳd/ [verb phrase]
if a court case, a problem, or a complaint is heard, a judge or lawyer listens to it to decide what legal action should be taken :
▪ Last year 2,047 cases were heard in the Hillbrow small claims court.
▪ Yesterday counsel for both parties agreed the case should be heard on March 12.