The results of a criminal trial can be either guilty or not guilty. After a finding of not guilty, at least in Illinois, the defendant can go back and get a ruling from the judge that, after hearing all the evidence the case basically had no merit. There's a name for this finding - I heard it years ago and can't remember it. I need it for a paper. Any ideas?
2006-11-09 09:40:07 · 4 answers · asked by GeoWiss 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
It is not a finding of "innocent". There is no finding of innocent in criminal court anywhere. It is a judgement not withstanding the verdict or JNOV.
2006-11-10 05:58:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The results are either "guilty" or "not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt" (also known as being "acquitted").
There is no finding of "innocence" in most courts. If Illinois has some special rules for criminal matters like you describe, that would be interesting.
2006-11-09 10:00:49 · answer #2 · answered by coragryph 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An acquittal is another name for a finding of not guilty, however you may be looking for the term expungement. That is where a defendant may, after an acquittal or dismissal of charges, have all records of the arrest and criminal proceedings erased or "expunged" from public record.
2006-11-09 09:48:39 · answer #3 · answered by Kevin B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not positive, but it may be "erasure" - as in "erasing the record". Hope this helps.
2006-11-09 09:45:31 · answer #4 · answered by Pete 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋