| Service of Process in Foreign Countries |
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| The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are court rules that govern the procedure to be followed in civil lawsuits that are filed in federal court. The Federal Rules specify how service of process (notice that a lawsuit has been filed) is to be made on the defendant (the person being sued). A court must have personal jurisdiction over a defendant before it can enter a valid judgment against the defendant. There are special rules for service of process on individuals in a foreign country. This article discusses the procedure to be followed in serving an individual in a foreign country. More... |
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| The Jury in a Civil Lawsuit |
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| There is a constitutional right to a jury trial in certain types of civil cases. The jury in a civil lawsuit usually contains 6 to 12 people. More... |
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| DNA Testing |
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| DNA is genetic material that controls inherited traits such as eye color, hair color, and bone density. DNA testing is used to match a sample of evidence (sperm, blood, saliva, skin, or hair) from the crime scene to a suspect. Current DNA techniques are so sophisticated that one person can be differentiated from all other living persons by analyzing DNA from a single strand of hair. DNA testing is especially helpful in solving rape and murder crimes and in exonerating wrongly convicted prisoners.
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| The Office of the Independent Counsel |
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| Following the Watergate scandal, Congress passed the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (Ethics Act). The law created a Special Prosecutor (the name was later changed to Independent Counsel) to investigate possible crimes by high government officials. The Independent Counsel provision of the Ethics Act expired, and new Independent Counsel legislation that was passed in 1994 expired in 1999 and was not renewed. The Attorney General of the United States now has sole discretion to appoint an outside prosecutor. More... |
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| Injunctions |
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| An injunction is a court order directing a person or company to do a certain act or prohibiting the person or company from doing a certain act. An injunction is considered an extraordinary remedy, and the court has discretion in deciding whether to issue an injunction.
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