allegation - The assertion, declaration, or statement of a party to an action, made in a pleading, establishing what the party expects to prove.  

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) - Methods of resolving disputes outside of official court proceedings. These methods include mediation arbitration, and conciliation.  

amicus curiae - A friend of the court; a nonparty who interposes, with the permission of the court, and volunteers information upon some matter before the court.  

annual review - Yearly judicial review, usually in juvenile dependency cases, to determine whether the child requires continued court supervision or placement.  

answer - A pleading by which defendant responds to the plaintiff's complaint.  

appeal - The bringing of a case to a higher court for review of a lower court's order or judgment.  

appearance - The formal proceeding by which defendant submits to the jurisdiction of the court.  

appellant - The party appealing a final decision or judgment.  

appellate court - A court which hears appeals from a lower court.  

appellate jurisdiction - The appellate court has the right to review and revise the lower court decision.  

appellee - The party against whom an appeal is taken.  

arraignment - In a misdemeanor case, the initial appearance before a judge at which the criminal defendant enters a plea; in a felony case, the proceeding after the indictment or bindover at which the defendant comes before a judge in District Court, is informed of the charges, enters a plea, and has a date set for trial or disposition. In Juvenile Court, the first hearing after a petition has been filed.