Def.: A procedural system, such as the one used in the U.S., involving parties contesting with each other to present a case before an impartial decision maker. This differs from the inquisitorial system based on the civil law tradition of many other countries, in which the judge takes a more active role in arriving at the truth.
• Closing arguments in a jury trial are an illustration of the adversary system of justice because each party argues its own side.