25 Criminal Court Interpretation Drills | Spanish-English Practice

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25 Foundational Drills: Courtroom Procedures

1. To Plead: "How do you plead to the charges of possession with intent to distribute?"¿Cómo se declara ante los cargos de posesión con la intención de distribuir?
2. Reasonable Doubt: "The jury must find that the state proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."El jurado debe determinar que el estado probó la culpabilidad más allá de una duda razonable.
3. Motion to Suppress: "The defense will file a motion to suppress the evidence obtained during the illegal search."La defensa presentará un pedimento para suprimir las pruebas obtenidas durante el registro ilegal.
4. Concurrent Sentences: "The judge ordered the defendant to serve three concurrent sentences of five years."El juez ordenó que el acusado cumpla tres sentencias simultáneas de cinco años.
5. Waive a Right: "Do you understand that by pleading guilty you waive your right to a jury trial?"¿Entiende que al declararse culpable renuncia a su derecho a un juicio por jurado?
6. Pre-trial Conference: "We will discuss the pending plea offer during the pre-trial conference."Discutiremos la oferta de culpabilidad pendiente durante la conferencia previa al juicio.
7. Discovery: "The prosecution is required to hand over all discovery materials to the defense counsel."Se le requiere a la fiscalía entregar todos los materiales de descubrimiento al abogado defensor.
8. To Overrule: "Objection overruled; the witness has already established the foundation for the statement."Objeción denegada; el testigo ya ha establecido el fundamento para la declaración.
9. To Sustain: "Objection sustained; counsel, please refrain from arguing with the witness."Objeción sostenida; abogado, por favor absténgase de discutir con el testigo.
10. Leading Question: "Counselor, I will allow some latitude, but please avoid asking leading questions."Abogado, permitiré cierta libertad, pero por favor evite hacer preguntas sugestivas.
11. Character Witness: "The defense intends to call a character witness to testify about the defendant’s reputation."La defensa tiene la intención de llamar a un testigo de buena conducta para testificar sobre la reputación del acusado.
12. Expert Testimony: "The state will introduce expert testimony regarding the forensic ballistics report."El estado presentará testimonio pericial con respecto al informe forense de balística.
13. Opening Statement: "The purpose of the opening statement is to outline the evidence you will hear."El propósito de la declaración de apertura es resumir las pruebas que ustedes escucharán.
14. Closing Argument: "In my closing argument, I will summarize why the evidence leads to a conviction."En mi argumento de clausura, resumiré por qué las pruebas conducen a una condena.
15. Jury Instructions: "The court will now provide the jury instructions regarding the law of self-defense."El tribunal proporcionará ahora las instrucciones al jurado con respecto a la ley de legítima defensa.
16. Criminal Record: "The sentencing guidelines will be affected by the defendant's prior criminal record."Las pautas de sentencia se verán afectadas por los antecedentes penales previos del acusado.
17. Suspended Sentence: "The judge may consider a suspended sentence if the defendant complies with probation."El juez podría considerar una condena condicional si el acusado cumple con la libertad vigilada.
18. To Remand: "Due to the flight risk, the court will remand the defendant into custody without bail."Debido al riesgo de fuga, el tribunal enviará al acusado a prisión preventiva sin fianza.
19. Felony: "The defendant is charged with a first-degree felony carrying a maximum life sentence."El acusado está cargado con un delito grave de primer grado que conlleva una sentencia máxima de cadena perpetua.
20. Misdemeanor: "Reckless driving is often prosecuted as a class A misdemeanor in this jurisdiction."La conducción temeraria suele procesarse como un delito menor de clase A en esta jurisdicción.
21. Probable Cause: "The defense argues that the officers lacked probable cause to conduct the search."La defensa argumenta que los oficiales carecían de causa probable para realizar el registro.
22. Search Warrant: "A search warrant was issued by a neutral magistrate based on a sworn affidavit."Una orden de cateo fue emitida por un magistrado neutral basada en una declaración jurada.
23. To Impeach: "The prosecution will use the prior inconsistent statement to impeach the witness."La fiscalía utilizará la declaración inconsistente previa para impugnar al testigo.
24. Burden of Proof: "The burden of proof never shifts from the state to the defendant in a criminal trial."La carga de la prueba nunca pasa del estado al acusado en un juicio penal.
25. Acquittal: "The directed verdict resulted in an acquittal on all counts of the indictment."El veredicto de oficio resultó en una absolución de todos los cargos de la acusación formal.

The Master Courtroom Glossary (Expanded)

Acquittal (Absolución): A formal legal determination that a defendant is not guilty of the charges.

Adjudication (Adjudicación): The formal giving or pronouncing of a judgment or decree in a court proceeding.

Arraignment (Lectura de cargos): The initial appearance where the defendant is informed of their rights and the charges against them.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (Más allá de una duda razonable): The highest standard of proof, requiring that no other logical explanation can be derived from the facts except that the defendant committed the crime.

Burden of Proof (Carga de la prueba): The duty of a party to prove the allegations in a case. In criminal law, this duty always remains with the Prosecution.

Discovery (Descubrimiento de pruebas): The pre-trial phase where both parties exchange evidence, witness lists, and relevant documents.

Exculpatory Evidence (Pruebas exculpatorias): Evidence favorable to the defendant that exonerates or tends to exonerate them of guilt.

Felony (Delito grave): A serious criminal offense punishable by a prison sentence of more than one year or by death.

Impeachment of a Witness (Impugnación de un testigo): The process of calling into question the credibility of an individual testifying in a trial.

Indictment (Acusación formal): A formal charge or accusation of a serious crime, typically issued by a Grand Jury.

Leading Question (Pregunta sugestiva): A question that suggests the answer to the witness, generally prohibited during direct examination.

Misdemeanor (Delito menor): An offense less serious than a felony, typically punishable by fine or a jail term of less than one year.

Motion to Suppress (Pedimento para suprimir): A request that the court exclude certain evidence because it was obtained in violation of the defendant's rights.

Overrule (Denegar / No ha lugar): A judge's decision to disagree with an objection made by an attorney.

Plea Bargain (Convenio declaratorio): A negotiated agreement between the prosecutor and the defendant where the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser charge for a more lenient sentence.

Probable Cause (Causa probable): A reasonable ground for belief that an accused person may have committed a crime, necessary for arrests and searches.

Remand (Prisión preventiva / Consignar): To send a person back into custody to await trial or further action.

Sustain (Sostener / Ha lugar): A judge's decision to agree with an objection made by an attorney.

Voir Dire (Interrogatorio para determinar competencia): The process of questioning potential jurors to determine their suitability and lack of bias.

Waive (Renunciar): The voluntary and intentional relinquishment of a known legal right or privilege.

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