Grand Jury Indictments: A Guide
What is a Grand Jury Indictment?
A grand jury indictment is a formal charging instrument used by the US Department of Justice to bring federal criminal charges against someone.
A grand jury is a group of 23 people who are randomly selected to hear evidence in a case and decide whether there is enough evidence to charge the person with a crime. If the grand jury believes there is enough evidence, they will issue an indictment, which is a formal document that accuses the person of a crime.
Grand jury indictments are different from trial jury verdicts in that a grand jury only needs to find that there is enough evidence to charge the person with a crime, while a trial jury must find the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
What Happens After a Grand Jury Indictment?
Once a person is indicted by a grand jury, they will be arraigned in court. At the arraignment, the person will be read the charges against them and asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.
If the person pleads guilty, the judge will sentence them. If the person pleads not guilty, the case will go to trial. At trial, a jury will hear the evidence and decide whether the person is guilty or not guilty.
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