Terms Used In Alabama Code > Title 15 > Chapter 6 > Article 3 - Appeals

• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• circuit: means judicial circuit. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• County: means Clay County. See Alabama Code 45-14-243.01
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• 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.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• 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.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Month: means the calendar month. See Alabama Code 45-14-243.01
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
• preceding: means next before. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
• property: includes both real and personal property. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
• State sales tax: means the tax imposed by the state sales tax statutes. See Alabama Code 45-14-243.01
• State sales tax statutes: means Sections 40-23-1, 40-23-2, 40-23-3, and 40-23-4, which levy a certain retail sales tax, and include all statutes, including amendments to those sections, which expressly set forth any exemptions from the computation of the tax levied by those sections and all other statutes which expressly apply to, or purport to affect, the administration of those sections and the incidence and collection of the tax imposed therein. See Alabama Code 45-14-243.01
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• year: means a calendar year; but, whenever the word "year" is used in reference to any appropriations for the payment of money out of the treasury, it shall mean fiscal year. See Alabama Code 1-1-1