Page 7 - T.T. LEGAL

LEGAL TERMS

• AFFIRMATION: A solemn and formal declaration or statement that an affidavit is true, that
the witness will tell the truth, etc. This can be substituted for an oath in
certain cases.

• AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES: Facts that increase guilt or make consequences of
a crime more severe. The presence of aggravating
circumstances justifies a more severe penalty.
• AGGRIEVED: Used in conciliaton court to describe a party dissatisfied with the
decision, usually the losing party, who appeals the decision.
• AIDER AND ABETTOR: One who assists another in a crime.
• ALFORD PLEA: A plea of guilty that may be accepted by a court even where the
defendant does not admit quilt. In an Alford plea, defendant has to
admit that he has reviewed the state’s evidence, a reasonable jury
could find him guilty, and he wants to take advantage of a plea offer
that has been made. Court has discretion as to whether to accept
this type of plea.

• ALIAS: Any name used for an official purpose that different from a person’s
legal name.
• ALIBI: An explanation or excuse that shows defendant was at another place at the
time a crime is commited, or could not have commited the crime.

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