A longtime tenant of the American judicial system is that every individual is entitled to a fair and impartial jury trial. Over the history of the nation’s existence, the Supreme Court has illuminated what a “fair and impartial” jury trial means, and what rights for criminal defendants are protected under the United States Constitution. This blog will examine how the case of Batson v. Kentucky has broadened the scope of what a fair jury trial…
Jury trials are often dramatized on television and in movies. The plot of several popular TV shows revolves around the courtroom drama between prosecutors, witnesses, defense attorneys, and judges. The accuracy of the portrayals of jury trials varies from show to show. In a general sense, here is how “real life” jury trials unfold in Indiana. The first day of all jury trials start with jury selection, commonly referred to as voir dire. Voir dire…
Are you or someone you know undergoing a potential grand jury proceeding or facing an indictment? Need help understanding what it all means? This blog will go through the different terms and procedures that most often occur in the indictment and grand jury process. Grand juries are very laid back as compared to typical pre-trial court settings. Most times there is not a judge or defense attorney present and it is just the prosecutor and…
A Quick Look at How Grand Juries Work in Indiana: In previous blogs, we’ve discussed some of the various ways that criminal proceedings may be initiated against a person. Most often a person is facing charges after a charging information, which is signed by the prosecuting attorney, is filed with the court. The other way formal criminal proceedings begin is by an indictment, which is the initiation of charges following a grand jury proceeding. A…