Understanding the Role of a Defendant in Legal Proceedings Quiz - Test Your Knowledge

💡 Interesting Facts

in an Alford plea a defendant in U.S. criminal court admits there is evidence to support a conviction and enters a guilty plea, while asserting innocence.

in Tennard v. Dretke, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it a cruel and unusual punishment to ignore the defendant's mental retardation in sentencing the death penalty.

the hearing for the Nanoor massacre case has stalled because of the defendants' repeated failure to appear in court.

the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1963 that a criminal defendant has a constitutional right to "effective" legal counsel, but "effective" was not defined until Wiggins v. Smith in 2003.

the US Supreme Court ruled a defendant has a fundamental right not to be tried in court if he lacks a rational and factual understanding of the charges against him.

the Case of the Hooded Man was so called because the defendant was made to wear a black hood when travelling to and from the court.

in Frendak v. United States the court ruled that a competent defendant, who experts testified was probably insane when he committed the crime, cannot be forced to use the insanity defense.

in Bigby v. Dretke, the defendant put a gun to the judge's head, but the judge testified the assault did not bias him, and refused to recuse himself.

Dr. Chris Hatcher convinced the jury in a capital punishment case without having interviewed the defendant.

change of venue is the legal term for moving a jury trial away from a location where a fair and impartial jury may not be possible due to widespread publicity about a crime and/or the defendant.

Wyandanch, the sachem of the Montaukett, in 1659, sued Jeremy Daily in the colonial court in one of the first trials in North America with an English defendant and a Native American plaintiff.

although American law requires proof of a defendant's "guilty mind" as an element of the crime, it is not concerned with motive.

before the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Jackson v. Indiana, an incompetent criminal defendant could be involuntarily confined indefinitely (as if given a life sentence) without a trial or a conviction.

Elia Kazan's 1947 film Boomerang!, about a murder defendant whose innocence was proven by the prosecutor, was based on the true story of Harold Israel.

Understanding the Role of a Defendant in Legal Proceedings

1 A defendant or defender (Δ in legal shorthand) is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a ________ before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute.

2 Historically, a defendant in a civil action could also be taken into custody pursuant to a writ of capias ad respondendum and forced to post ________ before being released from custody.

💡 Interesting Facts

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