(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked

an answer indicating why a suit should be dismissed

the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior

a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him

the collection of rules imposed by authority

put on trial or hear a case and sit as the judge at the trial of

a trial that is conducted by a military court

a primitive method of determining a person's guilt or innocence by subjecting the accused person to dangerous or painful tests believed to be under divine control; escape was usually taken as a sign of innocence

a highly publicized trial in 1925 when John Thomas Scopes violated a Tennessee state law by teaching evolution in high school; Scopes was prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan and defended by Clarence Darrow; Scopes was convicted but the verdict was later reversed

a trial held for show; the guilt of the accused person has been decided in advance

a trial that is invalid or inconclusive

an answer indicating why a suit should be dismissed

the institution and conduct of legal proceedings against a defendant for criminal behavior

a defendant's answer or plea denying the truth of the charges against him

the collection of rules imposed by authority