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| Common Law and the Jury System |
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"beyond a reasonable doubt"
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(in court) enough evidence to be sure of a decision of guilt
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admissible
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according to rules, acceptable
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code of laws
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a set of legal rules
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common law
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unwritten law based on customs and previous court judgments, rather than laws passed by Parliament or Congress
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compensatory
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payment in money
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convicted
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found guilty of a crime in a court of law
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evidence
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words or objects that support the truth of something; proof
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guilty
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having broken a law; at fault; culpable; responsible for
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hung
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when the required number of jurors cannot agree on a decision
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innocent until proven guilty
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assumed to be blameless unless otherwise proven
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irrelevant
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not important to the situation
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lesser crime
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an illegal act that is not as harmful as another
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pleads guilty
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(in a court of law) to admit wrongdoing ; admission of breaking a law
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precedents
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examples that allow similar future actions; customs
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private parties
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person or group that take part in a lawsuit
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punitive damages
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punishment for wrongdoing
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testimony
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formal, sworn evidence given in court
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unjustly
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unfairly; lacking justice
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verdict
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decision of guilty or not guilty
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