Terms Used In Montana Code > Title 7 > Chapter 1 > Part 1 - Nature of Self-GoverningLocal Governments and Local Government Prohibitions

• Acquittal:
  1. Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
  2. A verdict of "not guilty."
   
• Affidavit: means a sworn written declaration made before an officer authorized to administer oaths or an unsworn written declaration made under penalty of perjury as provided in 1-6-105. See Montana Code 1-1-203
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Arrest: means taking a person into custody in the manner authorized by law. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Bail: means the security given for the primary purpose of ensuring the presence of the defendant in a pending criminal proceeding. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Charge: means a written statement that accuses a person of the commission of an offense, that is presented to a court, and that is contained in a complaint, information, or indictment. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Civil forfeiture: The loss of ownership of property used to conduct illegal activity.
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contents: means any information concerning the substance, purport, or meaning of a communication. See Montana Code 46-5-601
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Court: means a place where justice is judicially administered and includes the judge of the court. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Electronic communication: means :

  (i)any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted or stored in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectronic, or photo-optical system; or

  (ii)any aural transfer made or stored in whole or in part through the use of facilities for the transmission of communications by the aid of wire, cable, or other similar connection between the point of origin and the point of reception, including but not limited to the use of the wire, cable, or other similar connection in a switching station. See Montana Code 46-5-601

• Electronic communication service: means :

  (a)a service that provides to users the ability to send or receive electronic communications;

  (b)a service that provides to users computer storage or processing services; or

  (c)a service that acts as an intermediary in the transmission of electronic communications. See Montana Code 46-5-601

• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Eyewitness: means a person whose identification by sight of another person may be relevant in a criminal proceeding. See Montana Code 46-4-501
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governmental entity: means a state or local agency, including but not limited to a law enforcement entity or any other investigative entity, agency, department, division, bureau, board, or commission, or an individual acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of a state or local agency. See Montana Code 46-5-601
• Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
• Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Judge: means a person who is vested by law with the power to perform judicial functions. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Judgment: means an adjudication by a court that the defendant is guilty or not guilty, and if the adjudication is that the defendant is guilty, it includes the sentence pronounced by the court. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Juror: A person who is on the jury.
• Knowingly: means only a knowledge that the facts exist which bring the act or omission within the provisions of this code. See Montana Code 1-1-204
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Notice to appear: means a written direction that is issued by a peace officer and that requests a person to appear before a court at a stated time and place to answer a charge for the alleged commission of an offense. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Offense: means a violation of any penal statute of this state or any ordinance of its political subdivisions. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Parole: means the release to the community of a prisoner by a decision of the board of pardons and parole prior to the expiration of the prisoner's term subject to conditions imposed by the board of pardons and parole and the supervision of the department of corrections. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Peace officer: means any person who by virtue of the person's office or public employment is vested by law with a duty to maintain public order and make arrests for offenses while acting within the scope of the person's authority. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Pen register: means a device that records or decodes electronic or other impulses that identify a number dialed or otherwise transmitted on a telephone line to which the pen register is attached. See Montana Code 46-4-401
• Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
• Photographic lineup: means an array of photographs displayed to an eyewitness for the purpose of determining if the eyewitness can identify the perpetrator of a crime. See Montana Code 46-4-501
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Probation: means release by the court without imprisonment of a defendant found guilty of a crime. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Process: means a writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Montana Code 1-1-202
• Property: means real and personal property. See Montana Code 1-1-205
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Prosecutor: means an elected or appointed attorney who is vested by law with the power to initiate and carry out criminal proceedings on behalf of the state or a political subdivision. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Search warrant: means an order that is:

  (a)in writing;

  (b)in the name of the state;

  (c)signed by a judge;

  (d)a particular description of the place, object, or person to be searched and the evidence, contraband, or person to be seized; and

  (e)directed to a peace officer and commands the peace officer to search for evidence, contraband, or persons. See Montana Code 46-1-202

• State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
• Statement: means :

  (a)a writing signed or otherwise adopted or approved by a person;

  (b)a video or audio recording of a person's communications or a transcript of the communications; and

  (c)a writing containing a summary of a person's oral communications or admissions. See Montana Code 46-1-202

• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Subpoena duces tecum: A command to a witness to produce documents.
• Subscriber record: means a record of or information about an electronic communication service or remote computing service that reveals the subscriber's or customer's:

  (i)name;

  (ii)address;

  (iii)local and long-distance telephone connection record or record of session time and duration;

  (iv)length of service, including start date;

  (v)type of service used;

  (vi)telephone number, instrument number, or other subscriber or customer number or identification, including a temporarily assigned network address; and

  (vii)means and source of payment for the service. See Montana Code 46-5-601

• Summons: means a written order issued by the court that commands a person to appear before a court at a stated time and place to answer a charge for the offense set forth in the order. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testify: means every mode of oral statement under oath or affirmation. See Montana Code 1-1-202
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Trap and trace device: means a device that records or decodes incoming electronic or other impulses that identify the originating number of an instrument or device from which a wire or electronic communication was transmitted. See Montana Code 46-4-401
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• United States: includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
• Usage: means a reasonable and lawful public custom concerning transactions of the same nature as those which are to be affected thereby, existing at the place where the obligation is to be performed, and either known to the parties or so well established, general, and uniform that the parties must be presumed to have acted with reference thereto. See Montana Code 1-1-206
• Usual: means according to usage. See Montana Code 1-1-206
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Vessel: when used in reference to shipping, includes ships of all kinds, steamboats and steamships, canal boats, and every structure adapted to be navigated from place to place. See Montana Code 1-1-207
• Witness: means a person whose testimony is desired in a proceeding or investigation by a grand jury or in a criminal action, prosecution, or proceeding. See Montana Code 46-1-202
• Writing: includes printing. See Montana Code 1-1-203