Criminal Law
| REQUESTS FOR JURY INSTRUCTIONS |
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| Both the prosecution and a defendant have a right to request that certain instructions be submitted to a jury when a trial court charges the jury. A request for the instructions must be made in writing and must be presented to the trial court prior to the trial court's charge to the jury. The request may also be dictated to a court reporter in the presence of the trial court and counsel for both parties. More... |
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| A DEFENDANT'S RIGHT TO CONFRONT WITNESSES |
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| Under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, a defendant has a right to confront his or her adverse witnesses. This means that the defendant has a right to a face-to-face meeting with the witnesses. Included in this right is the right to cross-examine the witnesses. More... |
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| Judicial Notice |
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| Judicial notice is the knowledge or recognition that a fact is true without evidence to support its truth. An example of a fact that a court may take judicial notice of is that the sky is blue. Most people know and understand that the sky is blue and no proof is needed to establish that the sky is blue. More... |
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| Competency and Sequestration of Witnesses |
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| Testimony of witnesses is a common way to present evidence during a criminal trial. However, before the testimony of a witness can be accepted during a defendant's trial it must be established that the witness is competent or have the capacity to testify.
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| BILLS OF EXCEPTION |
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| A defendant is entitled to waive his or her right to appeal his or her conviction by a trial court. However, the waiver must be knowingly and intelligently made by the defendant. The waiver may only be made after the defendant's right to appeal has accrued.
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