Simple English definitions for legal terms
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REST: When someone is in a trial, they may choose to stop giving evidence after the police officer or other witnesses have spoken. This is called "resting" and can happen either by the person themselves or their lawyers.
Definition: To voluntarily conclude presenting evidence in a trial.
Example 1: After the police officer's testimony, the prosecution rested.
Example 2: The defense rested its case after presenting just two witnesses.
In both examples, the term "rest" refers to the act of voluntarily concluding the presentation of evidence in a trial. In example 1, the prosecution has presented all the evidence they have and do not wish to present any more. In example 2, the defense has presented only two witnesses and does not wish to present any more evidence.