Legal Definitions - no bill

No Bill

When a grand jury issues a no bill, it means they have reviewed the evidence presented by a prosecutor and determined there is not enough probable cause to formally charge an individual with a crime and proceed to a full trial. Essentially, the grand jury has decided that the evidence is insufficient to warrant an indictment (a formal accusation).

Here are some examples:

• Imagine a situation where a local business owner is accused of tax evasion. The prosecutor presents financial records, bank statements, and witness testimonies to a grand jury, arguing that the evidence points to deliberate fraud. After careful deliberation, the grand jury concludes that while there might be some accounting irregularities, the evidence doesn't definitively prove criminal intent beyond the threshold required for an indictment. They would then issue a no bill, meaning the business owner will not face criminal charges related to those specific allegations.

  This illustrates a grand jury finding insufficient evidence to move forward with a criminal charge, despite a prosecutor's presentation.

• A person is suspected of both grand theft auto and reckless driving. The prosecutor presents evidence for both charges to the grand jury. The grand jury finds strong evidence for the grand theft auto charge, leading to an indictment. However, when reviewing the evidence for the reckless driving charge (perhaps conflicting witness statements or a lack of definitive video footage), they decide it's too weak to support a formal accusation. In this scenario, the grand jury would "no-bill" the reckless driving charge, while allowing the grand theft auto charge to proceed.

  This shows how a grand jury can differentiate between charges, finding some to have sufficient evidence and others not.

• Following a lengthy investigation into alleged environmental violations by a large corporation, a prosecutor brings a case before a grand jury, hoping to indict several high-ranking executives. The grand jury spends weeks reviewing internal company documents, scientific reports, and expert testimony. Ultimately, they determine that while the company may have violated some regulations, the evidence doesn't conclusively demonstrate criminal negligence or meet the legal standard for an indictment against specific individuals. They would then return a no bill, preventing criminal charges from being filed against those executives based on the presented evidence.

  This highlights the grand jury's role in complex corporate investigations, where even after extensive inquiry, the evidence might not be strong enough for criminal charges against individuals.