Verdict
In
law, a
verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a
jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge (see
Black's Law Dictionary, p. 1398 (5th ed. 1979). The term, from the latin
veredictum, literally means "to say the truth" and is derived from
Middle English verdit, from
Anglo-Norman: a compound of
ver ("true," from the
Latin vērus) and
dit ("speech," from the Latin
dictum, the
neuter form of
dīcere, to say).
In a
criminal case, the verdict is either a "not guilty" or a "guilty" finding, except in
Scotland where the verdict of "
not proven" is also available. Different counts in the same case may have different verdicts.
A verdict of guilty in a criminal case is generally followed by a
judgment of conviction rendered by the judge, which in turn will be followed by
sentencing.
A verdict is also issued by the
coroner at the conclusion of an
inquest into sudden deaths: possible verdicts include
death by misadventure,
accidental death,
unlawful killing,
lawful killing,
suicide,
natural causes and an
open verdict.
In US legal nomenclature, the verdict is the finding of the jury on the questions of fact submitted to it. Once the court (the judge) receives the verdict, the judge enters judgment on the verdict. The judgment of the court is the final order in the case.
