noun
- A formal judicial examination of issues of law or
fact between parties by a court with jurisdiction in such cases.
- A formal adversarial proceeding to
hear evidence and decide legal issues and claims. Trials are covered by
established rules of courtroom procedure as well as rules of evidence.
bench trial
A trial held in front of a judge, but without the presence of a
jury. Both parties must waive their constitutional rights to a trial by jury.
The judge then gets to decide matters of fact as well as matters of law.
trial by jury
See jury
trial.
trial de novo
A new trial, usually ordered by an appellate court that retries
both matters of fact and law and proceeds as if the original trial had never
taken place. See also
mistrial and
retrial.