EXAMINATION
A search, inspection, or interrogation.
In CRIMINAL PROCEDURE, the PRELIMINARY
HEARING held to decide whether a suspect arrested
for a crime should be brought to trial.
In trial practice, the interrogation of a witness
to elicit his or her testimony in a civil or criminal
action, so that the facts he or she possesses are pre-
sented before the trial of fact for consideration.
In the law governing real property transac-
tions, an investigation made into the history of the
ownership of and conditions that exist upon land
so that a purchaser can determine whether a seller
is entitled to sell the land free and clear of any
claims made by third persons.
In patent law, an inquiry made at the PATENT
AND TRADEMARK OFFICE to determine the nov-
elty and utility of an invention for which a patent
application has been filed and whether the inven-
