Assistant state’s attorneys not only like to talk, they have to talk.
They talk to witnesses and suspects. They talk to victims, the police and the coroner. They talk to defense attorneys, juries and judges. Most of all, they talk to each other-in an esoteric dialect that is an amalgam of Latin, street jive and legal abbreviations. Here are some examples:
12 pair of shoes: The jury.
Taking on a lot of water: The case isn’t going well.
Racking ’em up: Picking a jury.
Getting launched: Receiving a long jail sentence.
Cut: To let off a defendant, as in, “The judge cut him.”
A drop: When a suspect drops the drugs from his hands when police arrive.
Dispo derby: A reference to the tally judges keep on the rate and speed of their disposing of cases before them.
The Q: The witness quarters at Cook County Jail.
Banger: A judge who bangs down his gavel and gives long sentences.
CI: A confidential informant.
Sidebar: A discussion involving attorneys from both sides and the judge during a jury trial. It is held at the side of the bench and out of earshot of the jurors.
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Flipper: A co-defendant in a case who testifies for the prosecution against his fellow co-defendant.
An overhear: A court-approved eavesdropping device.
The bunny hill: Juvenile Court.
No swans in the sewer: Everyone in a criminal case, including the victim, is disreputable.
Nollied: A shortened version of the Latin term nolle prosequi, or “unwilling to prosecute.” A case is “nollied” when the prosecution requests that the charges be dropped.
BFW: If a defendant fails to appear in court, the judge orders his bond money forfeited and a warrant is issued for his arrest, and “BFW” is marked on the court records.
The Jesus train: Prisoners who get religion once incarcerated.
Take five: When a witness invokes his 5th Amendment right not to testify on grounds it may incriminate him.
JNOV: Stands for “judgment not withstanding the verdict,” and refers to a situation in which a judge in a criminal case overturns a jury’s verdict of guilty. This can’t be done if the jury finds the defendant innocent.
Baggage: The criminal history of a witness or defendant.
Blow a term: Something no assistant state’s attorney dares to do. It means the prosecution failed to bring a case to trial within a statutory time.
And last but not least, a popular saying with a message all assistant state’s attorneys understand:
The guy in the dress makes the rules: The judge (the guy in the dress) runs the courtroom.