Trial Basics/ Structure of a Trial/ Role of the Jury/ Types of Evidence
1)Pretrial Motions
2) Jury Selection
3) Opening Statements
4) Plaintiff's/ Prosecutor's Case-in-Chief
5) Defendant's Case-in-Chief or Case-in-Defense
6) Plaintiff/ Prosecutor's Case-in-Rebuttal
7) Defendant's Case-in-Rebuttal or Case-in-Rejoinder
8) Further Rebuttal and Rejoinder
9) Closing Statements
10) Instruction to the Jury
11) Deliberation
12) Verdict
"Motions in limine" focus on whether or not information is admissible under the Rules of Evidence. Example: filing a motion to exclude evidence of a rape victim's sexual history.
"Motion to suppress" claims that the opponent's evidence was illegally obtained and thus should not be included.
Introduction of Evidence.
Evidence can be:
Types of Evidence:
Things that can be Evidence/ Kinds of Evidence:
(See flow on Evidence)
Real Evidence (photo, video, audio recording, etc, that directly depicts events central to the controversy)
Direct Evidence (material which requires a quick, intuitive/obvious inference)
Demonstrative Evidence (photo, video, etc, created for illustration/ recreation of event, space, etc, central to the controversy)
Circumstantial Evidence (material that requires a conscious inference/ could have more than one potential explanation or backstory)
Documents
Judicial Notice
Stipulations
Oral Testimony
Fact Witnesses
Expert Witnesses
Character Witnesses
Putting any type of witness on the stand:
Oath and Affirmation
Interpreter
Competence
Personal Knowledge