| Plea Agreements Generally |
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| When a defendant has been charged with a crime, it is his decision whether to enter a guilty or not guilty plea to the offense. Often times, a defendant enters a guilty plea based upon a plea agreement. Many prosecutors offer defendants plea agreements or bargains in order to ascertain a guilty plea from the defendant. More... |
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| JURY INSTRUCTIONS ON REASONABLE DOUBT |
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| A defendant cannot be convicted of a crime unless the prosecution proves that the defendant committed the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. The standard of beyond a reasonable doubt is a constitutional requirement of due process. The United States Constitution does not require a trial court to instruct a jury on the definition of reasonable doubt. However, the Constitution does not prohibit a trial court from providing a jury with a definition of reasonable doubt. More... |
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| Presenting and Objecting to Evidence |
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| In order for a court to consider evidence presented in a case, the evidence must be properly presented to the court for admission. Presentation of evidence may be undertaken in a variety of ways. More... |
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| CONTINUANCES DURING TRIAL |
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| A continuance is an adjournment or a postponement of a case. A continuance may be sought by either the prosecution or the defense in a criminal case. The continuance may be sought before a trial or during the trial. More... |
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| WARRANTLESS SEARCH - SEARCH IN AN INVESTIGATIVE STOP |
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| If a police officer has a reasonable basis for believing that a person is involved in criminal activity or is about to be involved in criminal activity, the officer has a right to make an investigative stop of that person. More... |
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