| bailiff | court clerk who keeps order in a court room |
| prosecutor | one who starts a legal proceeding |
| defendant | party against which an action is brought |
| indict | accuse |
| patriarch | a man who rules a family or group |
| evolution | the theory that organisms change into more complex forms over time |
| atheist | one who does not believe in God |
| agnostic | one who is not sure if God exists |
| fundamentalist | one who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible |
| blasphemy | speaking of God in an unholy way |
| dogma | religious beliefs |
| heretic | someone who has beliefs contrary to dogma |
| venireman | a person summoned to jury duty |
| biased | prejudiced against someone or someone's beliefs |
| zoology | study of animals |
| geology | study of the earth |
| archaeology | study of the remains of past human life |
| anthropology | study of the origin and development of humans |
| pagan | one who has no religion |
| precedent | a judicial decision that can be used as a standard in future cases |
| reconvene | to assemble again |
| unanimous | in complete agreement |
| sine die | without a day specified for a future meeting |
| adjourn | to suspend until a later time |
| sotto voce | in a soft tone |