Insufficient evidence is the evidence which fails to meet the burden of proof and is inadequate to prove a fact. In a trial, if the prosecution finishes presenting their case and the judge finds they have not met their burden of proof, the...
evidence
interrogation
An interrogation is the formal questioning of a suspect, often by law enforcement or investigators in relation to the commission of a crime or wrongdoing. An interrogation can occur during a criminal investigation, an arrest, or after a...
judicial notice
Judicial notice is a method used by a court when it declares a fact presented as evidence as true without a formal presentation of evidence. A court can take judicial notice of indisputable facts, usually for purposes of convenience. If a...
lay a foundation
The process of demonstrating to a judge that the evidence offered is what the proponent claims it is. At trial, all evidence must have a proper foundation before it is presented to the jury. The party offering the evidence bears the...
lay witness
A lay witness is someone who provides testimony in court based on their direct perceptions or personal experiences concerning the case. Federal Rule of Evidence 701 states that if a witness is not providing expert testimony, lay testimony in the form...
leading question
A leading question is a type of questioning in which the form of the question suggests the answer. In general, leading questions are not allowed during the direct examination of a witness and. If leading questions are asked during trial, it...
lie detector test
A lie detector test is a device that measures the involuntary physiological changes of a subject’s body as the subject responds to a question or statement. Polygraphs are the most popular lie detector tests used in the United States. Polygraphs measure...
limiting instructions
A jury instruction in which the judge instructs the jury to consider a piece of evidence for a specific purpose and ignore it for any other purpose. At trial, a court may admit evidence that is admissible for one purpose or against...
lineup
A lineup is a relatively formalized procedure wherein a suspect, who is generally already in custody, is placed among a group of other persons whose general appearance resembles the suspect. The witness is then asked whether he can...
Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
Mapp v. Ohio was a 1961 landmark Supreme Court case decided 6–3 by the Warren Court, in which it was held that Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures applied to the states and excluded unconstitutionally obtained...