Arakin 4 kurs new 001 176. indd

UNIT TWO
COURTS AND TRIALS
THEMATIC VOCABULARY
1. 
Courts
.
 
State courts
:
trial courts a) trial courts of general jurisdic-
tion b) trial courts of limited jurisdiction (probate, family matters, traf-
fic offenses etc.), intermediate appellate courts, the highest state court.
Federal courts: a) courts of general jurisdiction: district courts, 
circuit courts of appeal, the US Supreme Court; b) special courts: the 
US Court of Claims, the US Court of International Trade, the US 
Court of Military Appeals, the US Tax Court, the US Court of Vet-
eran’s Appeals (the last three are the courts created by Congress).
2. 
Cases
: civil cases, criminal cases, felony, misdemeanor.
3. 
Offences (offenses)
: a) crimes against a person: murder, man-
slaughter, homicide, rape, assault, kidnapping, bullying, cyber bullying, 
slander, blackmail, public intoxication (being drunk or intoxicated in 
public), etc; b) crimes against property: arson, burglary, theft/larceny, 
embezzlement, bribery, forgery, fraud, swindling, drug trafficking, vandal-
ism, money laundering, tax evasion, shoplifting; etc; c) traffic offences: 
speeding, driving without a licence or insurance, careless driving.
4. 
Participants of the legal procedure
: 1) parties to a lawsuit: 
plaintiff, defendant (in a civil case, the person complained against; in 
a criminal case, the person accused of the crime), attorney for the 
plaintiff (in a civil case); prosecutor (in a criminal case); attorney for 
the defence, counsel (a term used to refer to lawyers in a case) 2) jury, 
Grand jury, to serve on a jury, to swear the jury; 3) witness for the 
state, prosecution, witness for the defence; 4) court reporter (a person 
who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in court; 5) law 
clerk (a person who assists judges in drafting of opinions); 6) marshal / 
bailiff (enforces the rules of behavior in a courtroom).
5.