Terms Used In North Dakota Code > Chapter 29-10.1 - Grand Jury

• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• county: includes an organized county, or an organized county and such unorganized counties or other territory or parts of this state as may be attached by law to such organized county for judicial purposes. See North Dakota Code 29-01-13
• 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.
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Impeachment: (1) The process of calling something into question, as in "impeaching the testimony of a witness." (2) The constitutional process whereby the House of Representatives may "impeach" (accuse of misconduct) high officers of the federal government for trial in the Senate.
• indictment: is a n accusation in writing presented by a grand jury to a competent court charging a person with a crime or public offense. See North Dakota Code 29-01-13
• 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.
• Individual: means a human being. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
• information: is a n accusation in writing, in form and substance like an indictment for the same offense, charging a person with a crime or public offense, signed and verified by some person and presented to the district court and filed in the office of the clerk of said court. See North Dakota Code 29-01-13
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• magistrate: is a n officer authorized by law to issue a warrant for the arrest of a person charged with a crime or public offense. See North Dakota Code 29-01-13
• Person: means an individual, organization, government, political subdivision, or government agency or instrumentality. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
• presentment: is a n informal statement in writing by a grand jury representing to the court that a public offense has been committed which is triable in the county or subdivision, and that there is reasonable ground to believe that a particular individual named or described has committed it. See North Dakota Code 29-01-13
• Process: means a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Trial jury: A group of citizens who hear the evidence presented by both sides at trial and determine the facts in dispute. Federal criminal juries consist of 12 persons. Federal civil juries consist of six persons.
• Verified: means sworn to before an officer authorized to administer oaths. See North Dakota Code 1-01-42
• writing: includes printing and typewriting. See North Dakota Code 29-01-13
• written: include "typewriting" and "typewritten" and "printing" and "printed" except in the case of signatures and when the words are used by way of contrast to typewriting and printing. See North Dakota Code 1-01-37