What do people mean when they say STATE vs. FEDERAL Court?
Many people do not know that the various States and the Federal (U.S.) Government are separate entities and that they can (and do sometimes do) prosecute the very same behavior in their respective courts. Thus, and for example, an accused bank robber could concieveably be charged with bank robbery under the United States Code in Federal Court and simultaneously (or before or afterward, and regardless of the outcome) also be charged with bank robbery in State Court. Oddly enough this has definitively been held by the various Courts not to be considered “double jeopardy”.
While the rules vary from State to State, and while being prosecuted for a crime is never a desireable or a good thing, the general consensus is that State Court offers a more even playing field to the criminal defendant than does federal court. This is especially true in States such as Florida, where the rules of criminal procedure provide for extensive and liberal discovery (i.e. the mandatory disclosure of information in a timely and proper fashion), and where the Federal Rules of Criminal Proceedure do the exact opposite.
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