criminal law and procedure

Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA) was passed by the 107th Congress “to deter terrorism, provide justice for victims, provide for an effective death penalty, and for other purposes.” To accomplish this goal, some of the AEDPA provisions include increasing penalties for crimes involving explosives or terroris

• AEDPA

Appear is a verb used when a party makes an appearance at trial. You can appear either in person or virtually, though both options are not always available in any given court. 

For more specific information, see appearance. 

[Last reviewed in June of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]

A party enters an appearance when they show up to court in response to a service of process. Appearance isn’t only a reference to physical presence in court when required, but also to procedural compliance (e.g., filing an answer, participating in discovery).

Appellant is the party who appeals a lower court's judgment or order to a higher court.

Approach refers to moving toward the bench, a witness, or the jury box in court.

Approach the witness refers to when an attorney moves towards a witness in order to show them a document or exhibit. See approach.

The Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA) of 1984 is a federal law that imposes a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison for individuals who are convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm that already have 3 previous 

An arraignment is the first step in a criminal proceeding where the defendant is brought in front of the court to hear the charges against them and enter a plea.

An arrest is the use of legal authority to deprive a person of their freedom of movement. 

An arrest warrant is a document issued by a judge or magistrate that authorizes the police to take someone accused of a crime into custody.