« Back to Glossary Index
« Back to Glossary Index
A court session at which a defendant is charged and enters a plea. This is also the defendant’s initial appearance, when the judge informs him or her of the charges and sets the bail.
Arraignment (Wikipedia)
Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal charging document in the presence of the defendant, to inform them of the charges against them. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea. Acceptable pleas vary among jurisdictions, but they generally include "guilty", "not guilty", and the peremptory pleas, or pleas in bar, setting out reasons why a trial cannot proceed. Pleas of nolo contendere ("no contest") and the Alford plea are allowed in some circumstances.
Arraignment at the Ministries Trial, 20 December 1947
Arraignment (Wiktionary)
English
Etymology
arraign + -ment
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /əˈɹeɪnmənt/
Noun
arraignment (countable and uncountable, plural
... Read More
