In a criminal case, the state, through a prosecutor, initiates the suit, while in a civil case the victim brings the suit. Persons convicted of a crime may be incarcerated, fined, or both. Criminal defense attorneys represent clients who have been accused of committing a crime, and defend their rights at each stage of a misdemeanor or felony case -- from an arrest to an appeal after conviction. Criminal defense attorneys may be hired privately or provided by the government (called "public defenders").
Emerson is a village in Dakota, Dixon, and Thurston Counties in the U.S. state of Nebraska. Emerson was named after the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. The population was 856 at the 2000 census. Emerson is the only community in Nebraska that lies in three counties. The Dakota and Dixon county portions of Emerson are part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area.