| Expert Witnesses in Civil Lawsuits |
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| An expert witness is a witness who has knowledge of a technical subject. Because of his or her education, training or experience, an expert witness's testimony will aid the trier of fact in finding the truth in a lawsuit. More... |
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| The Office of the Independent Counsel |
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| Following the Watergate scandal, Congress passed the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (Ethics Act). The law created a Special Prosecutor (the name was later changed to Independent Counsel) to investigate possible crimes by high government officials. The Independent Counsel provision of the Ethics Act expired, and new Independent Counsel legislation that was passed in 1994 expired in 1999 and was not renewed. The Attorney General of the United States now has sole discretion to appoint an outside prosecutor. More... |
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| Criminal Cases |
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| A criminal case begins when the prosecutor files criminal charges against a person, a person is arrested, or the grand jury returns an indictment against a person. Criminal offenses are either misdemeanors or felonies. A misdemeanor is a crime that is punishable by jail time of up to one year. A felony is a more serious crime, which is punishable by prison time of more than one year. More... |
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| Judicial Administration |
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| Judicial administration refers to the management of state and federal court systems. The chief judge or justice of the court is ultimately responsible for the functioning of the court. Court administrators are responsible for many of the court's day-to-day operations such as budgets, personnel supervision, and the preparation of statistics and annual reports. Court clerks manage court calendars and court records. Other aspects of judicial administration include jury management, assignment of cases to judges, and oversight of ethical complaints against lawyers. More... |
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| The Jurisdiction of a State Court |
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| Jurisdiction refers to the power of a court to hear and decide a case. The power of a state court to hear a particular case comes from the constitution and laws of that state. For a court's decision to be legally binding, the court must have both subject matter jurisdiction (authority to hear a case involving the type of legal matter at issue, such as a contract or a personal injury) and personal jurisdiction (authority over the parties to the suit). More... |
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