| Grand Juries |
| A grand jury's primary function is to listen to the evidence presented by the prosecutor and decide if someone should be indicted for a crime. The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution provides that all federal criminal charges must be brought by a grand jury indictment. About half the states use grand juries. The grand jury also has broad power to investigate crimes. Some states permit grand juries to investigate corruption, organized crime, and the alleged misconduct of public officials. An investigative grand jury has the power to subpoena witnesses. More... |
| Legal Aid Societies and Offices of the Public Defender |
| Most states have legal aid societies, which are non-profit organizations that provide free legal assistance to indigents in civil matters. States also have public defenders who provide free legal representation to low income persons in criminal, juvenile, mental health, and dependency cases. More... |
| The Role of the Appellate Court's Legal Staff |
| The legal staff of an appellate court include the clerks of court, short-term law clerks, career law clerks, and staff attorneys. More... |
| Judicial Conflicts of Interest |
| Our legal system requires a fair and independent judiciary. In order to maintain public trust in our system of justice, judges must conduct themselves in an ethical manner. There are codes of conduct, which set standards of behavior for state and federal judges. These standards are aimed at assuring the impartiality of judges and reducing the possibility of conflicts of interest. More... |
| Jury Deliberations |
| The American system of justice generally allows litigants (the parties involved in a lawsuit) to choose between a jury trial and a bench trial. In a jury trial, the jury decides questions of fact and the judge applies the law. In a bench trial, the judge determines all questions of law and also decides all questions of fact. This article discusses the jury deliberation process. More... |
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