Indictment by a grand jury is based on what standard?

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Multiple Choice

Indictment by a grand jury is based on what standard?

Probable cause. A grand jury is tasked with deciding whether there is a reasonable basis to believe that a crime has been committed and that the person charged is connected to it, not to determine guilt. Because it’s not a trial, the evidence threshold is looser than at trial; it doesn’t require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The other standards don’t fit this context: beyond a reasonable doubt is for convicting after a trial, preponderance of the evidence is the civil standard for more likely than not, and clear and convincing is a higher civil standard used in some cases but not the basis for grand jury indictments.

Probable cause. A grand jury is tasked with deciding whether there is a reasonable basis to believe that a crime has been committed and that the person charged is connected to it, not to determine guilt. Because it’s not a trial, the evidence threshold is looser than at trial; it doesn’t require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The other standards don’t fit this context: beyond a reasonable doubt is for convicting after a trial, preponderance of the evidence is the civil standard for more likely than not, and clear and convincing is a higher civil standard used in some cases but not the basis for grand jury indictments.

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