arraign

arraign

v. to bring a criminal defendant before the court at which time the charges are presented to him/her, the opportunity to enter a plea (or ask for a continuance to plead) is given, a determination of whether the party has a lawyer is made (or whether a lawyer needs to be appointed), if necessary setting the amount of bail, and future appearances are scheduled. (See: appearance, arraignment)

Copyright © 1981-2005 by Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen T. Hill. All Right reserved.

arraign

in English and American legal process, to call the accused to the bar of the court to answer an indictment. The hearing is called an arraignment.

Collins Dictionary of Law © W.J. Stewart, 2006