An important role of the federal criminal process is the grand jury. The main purpose of a grand jury is to decide whether an individual should be charged (or “indicted”) with a specific crime, usually only serious crimes. Because of the purpose of this proceeding, it is usually one of the first procedures in a… Read More
grand juries
The Good and the Bad of Grand Juries
When the Constitution was written, a lot of care was taken to make sure that the government would not use the criminal justice system to pressure or imprison people who disagreed with it. This is why you have a right to a jury of your peers, and why unreasonable searches and seizures are prohibited. It… Read More