| Opening Statements during a Criminal Trial |
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| In a criminal proceeding each side has the opportunity to present an opening statement to the judge or jury. The prosecution presents its opening statement first and then the defendant presents his opening statement. In some states, the trial judge permits the defendant to defer giving his opening statement until the close of the prosecution's case. If there are multiple defendants being tried in one case, each attorney may give an opening statement for each defendant. More... |
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| FALSE STATEMENT TO OBTAIN PROPERTY OR CREDIT |
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| A person commits the offense of a false statement to obtain property or credit when he or she intentionally or knowingly makes a materially false or misleading statement to obtain property or credit on behalf of himself or herself or on behalf of another person. The false or misleading statement must be in writing. More... |
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| Punishment of Crime - An Overview |
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| Punishment is imposed following a defendant's conviction for any crime. Such punishment is usually imposed by the judge in the trial court, although in certain cases in some jurisdictions the amount of punishment is recommended by or actually set by a jury. In all cases, the amount of punishment that may be imposed is limited by the sentencing statute associated with the crime for which the defendant has been convicted. More... |
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| Motion to Disclose the Identity of a Confidential Informant |
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| A defendant may file a motion requesting that the prosecution disclose the identity of their confidential informant. Typically information received from the confidential informant may be the basis of probable cause to support the issuance of an arrest warrant for the defendant. More... |
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| Severance of Offenses and Defendants |
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| If any of the defendants would be prejudiced by a joinder of defendants or offenses then the defendants may file a motion for severance. A motion for severance may be filed with respect to the defendants and/or the offenses charged in the indictments. It is within the trial court's discretion to grant or deny the motion for severance. More... |
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