What are the two sides of a criminal case?
Table of Contents
What are the two sides of a criminal case?
Names of the sides. In criminal trials, the state’s side, represented by a district attorney, is called the prosecution. In civil trials, the side making the charge of wrongdoing is called the plaintiff. (The side charged with wrongdoing is called the defendant in both criminal and civil trials.)
Why do court cases use V instead of VS?
The pre- and post-Revolutionary American courts have always used “v.” in case names. It comes from the English legal citation style — which was already regularised in mediaeval times by 1325, when the Court of Chancery was responsible for drafting and compiling unified case reports.
How are criminal cases named?
The title in criminal cases always contains at least two names. The first name refers to the party that brought the action. The v. is an abbreviation of the Latin versus, meaning “against.” The second name refers to the party against which the action was brought.
