Definition
The criminal defendant's first formal court appearance where charges are read, rights are explained, and pleas are entered. It's basically the legal system's version of 'we need to talk,' except it happens in front of a judge and gets recorded. This is when you find out exactly what the government thinks you did wrong and how much trouble you're actually in.
Example Usage
At his arraignment, the defendant pleaded not guilty to all three counts of securities fraud and was released on $100,000 bail.
Source: Criminal law terminology
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