Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes > Chapter 621 - Evidence and Witnesses, Generally

• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• 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.
• Benefits: means the money payments payable to an individual, as provided in this chapter, with respect to the individual's unemployment. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• Contributions: means the money payments required by this chapter to be made into the state unemployment compensation fund by any employing unit on account of having individuals in its employ. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• county: includes the city and county of Honolulu. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-22
• 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.
• Department: means the department of labor and industrial relations. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• Director: means the director of labor and industrial relations of the State. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Employer: means :

  (1) Any employing unit which for some portion of a day within the current calendar year has or had in employment one or more individuals; and

  (2) For the effective period of its election pursuant to section 383-77, any other employing unit which has elected to become subject to this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1

• Employing unit: means any individual or type of organization, including the State, any of its political subdivisions, any instrumentality of the State or its political subdivisions, any partnership, association, trust, estate, joint-stock company, insurance company, or corporation, whether domestic or foreign, or the receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, trustee, or successor of any of the foregoing, or the legal representative of a deceased person, which has or subsequent to January 1, 1937, had one or more individuals performing services for it within this State. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• Employment: includes , but is not limited to, any service performed prior to January 1, 1978, which was employment as defined in this section prior to such date and, subject to the other provisions of this section, service performed after December 31, 1977, by an employee as defined in section 3306(i) and (o) of the federal Unemployment Tax Act, including service in interstate commerce. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-2
• 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.
• Extradition: The formal process of delivering an accused or convicted person from authorities in one state to authorities in another state.
• 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.
• Fund: means the unemployment compensation fund established by this chapter. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Insured work: means employment for employers. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• 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 a calendar month; and the word "year" a calendar year. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-20
• oath: includes a solemn affirmation. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-21
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Referee: means the referee for unemployment compensation appeals. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• State: includes the states of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-1
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• 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.
• United States: includes the states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and, after December 31 of the year in which the Secretary of Labor approves for the first time an unemployment insurance law of the Virgin Islands submitted to the Secretary of Labor for approval, the term "United States" shall also include the Virgin Islands. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 383-2
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.