| Legal Aid Societies and Offices of the Public Defender |
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| Most states have legal aid societies, which are non-profit organizations that provide free legal assistance to indigents in civil matters. States also have public defenders who provide free legal representation to low income persons in criminal, juvenile, mental health, and dependency cases. More... |
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| Independence of the Judiciary |
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| An independent judiciary is a fundamental principle of our democracy. The founding fathers assured the independence of federal judges by giving them tenure for life. The United States Constitution also prevents the reduction of a federal judge's salary while he/she is in office. The founding fathers also specified that federal judges could only be impeached and removed from office for committing treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.
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| Ex Parte Communications |
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| An ex parte communication is a written or oral communication with a judge that involves only one side of a pending lawsuit or that involves a matter that could become the subject of a future case before the judge. Ex parte communications include a judge's interactions with persons interested in the outcome of a case such as attorneys, parties, jurors, witnesses, and law enforcement personnel. Generally, ex parte communications are prohibited because they can influence the judge's decision. More... |
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| Restrictions on Judicial Campaign Speech |
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| Each branch of the armed forces has its own judicial system. Each service (Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force) has a JAG, who is the senior legal officer of that branch of the armed forces. The JAG is charged with administering military justice and with providing legal advice, opinions, and assistance to those who serve in the military. More... |
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| Juror Misconduct |
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| In the American judicial system, there is a fundamental right to have a trial by jury. The United States Constitution and the constitutions of the states guarantee the right to a trial by jury. The constitutional right to a trial by jury includes a right to an impartial or fair jury. Before a jury is impaneled, the jurors take an oath in which they swear or affirm to try the case in a fair and impartial manner, according to the law and the evidence. This article discusses juror misconduct. Under some circumstances, courts grant a new trial because of juror misconduct. More... |
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