Direct Examination Lawyers for the plaintiff or the government begin the presentation of evidence by calling witnesses. The questions they ask of the witnesses are direct examination. Direct examination may elicit both […]
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Cross-Examination When the lawyer for the plaintiff or the government has finished questioning a witness, the lawyer for the defendant may then cross-examine the witness. Cross-examination is generally limited to
Motion for Directed Verdict/Dismissal At the conclusion of the plaintiff’s or government’s evidence, the lawyer will announce that the plaintiff or government rests. Then, when the jury leaves the courtroom,
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Presentation of Evidence by the Defense The defense lawyer may choose not to present evidence, in the belief that the plaintiff or government did not prove its case. Usually, however,
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Final Motions After all the evidence has been presented and the jury has left the courtroom, either side may move for a directed verdict. If the motion is granted the
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Instructions to the Jury The judge instructs the jury about the relevant laws that should guide its deliberations. (In some jurisdictions, the court may instruct the jury at any time
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Mistrials Mistrials are trials that are not successfully completed. They’re terminated and declared void before the jury returns a verdict or the judge renders his or her decision in a
Jury Deliberations After receiving the instructions and hearing the final arguments, the jury retires to the jury room to begin deliberating. In most states the first order of business is
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Verdict After reaching a decision, the jury notifies the bailiff, who notifies the judge. All of the participants reconvene in the courtroom and the decision is announced. The announcement may
Motions after Verdict Motions permitted after a verdict is announced differ from state to state. A motion in arrest of judgment questions the sufficiency of the indictment or information in a criminal
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