Which document initiates a criminal case in the higher court system?

• A. Indictment
• B. Warrant
• C. Information
• D. Summons

Answer: (A)

In the higher court system, a criminal case is started by a grand jury returning an indictment—a formal accusation that charges the defendant after reviewing the evidence presented by the prosecutor. The indictment, once filed, moves the case toward arraignment and trial by establishing the charges and probable cause. Warrants are arrest or search orders, and a summons is simply a notice to appear in court. An information is a charging document used in other contexts or in lower courts, or in some situations to file charges without a grand jury. So the document that initiates a criminal case in the higher court system is the indictment.