
Court Basics
Burden of Proof: Civil vs. Criminal Cases
In U.S. courts, the prosecution generally must prove criminal guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Court terminology often compresses several different ideas into one short phrase. Court Basics unpacks those ideas without pretending that a general overview decides a real case. Examples primarily use common U.S. terms and flag where rules can differ by court, claim, and jurisdiction.

In U.S. courts, the prosecution generally must prove criminal guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.