Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes > Title 29 > Chapter 7 - The National Guard Mutual Assistance Counter-Drug Activities Compact

• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Board: means the Louisiana Public Defender Board authorized to regulate public defender services. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• indigent defender: means an attorney employed by or under contract with the board, the district public defender, regional director, where applicable, or nonprofit organization contracting with the board, district public defender, regional director, where applicable, or the board to provide legal counsel to an indigent person in a criminal proceeding. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• indigent defender services: means the providing of legal services to indigent persons in criminal proceedings in which the right to counsel attaches under the United States and Louisiana constitutions. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one party of an opposing party, who must answer them in writing under oath; a discovery device in a lawsuit.
• Nolo contendere: No contest-has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose.
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• program: means the activities directed toward the accomplishment of providing indigent defender services under the Louisiana Public Defender Act. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Regional director: means the person in the employment of the board chosen to oversee and enforce standards and guidelines within a service region created by the board. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• State Public Defender: means the person in the employment of the board chosen to administer the statewide public defender system for the delivery of public defender services. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 15:143
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.