Yes, in a criminal trial it is always the government against the defendant.
The sides in a civil trial are the same as a criminal trial. There is a plaintiff and a defendant. In a criminal trial the plaintiff is usually the jurisdictioni charging the defendant.
That will depend on whether the case is a civil or criminal trial. In a civil court case the two sides are the defendant and the plaintiff. For a criminal court it will be the defendant (the accused) and the government entity bringing the charges, usually the State or Country.
Plaintiff/Defendant
In a general criminal trial court, the key roles include the judge who presides over the trial and ensures that proper legal procedures are followed, the prosecution (usually a district attorney or government attorney) who presents the evidence against the defendant, the defense attorney who represents the accused, the defendant who is the person accused of committing the crime, and the jury (unless the trial is a bench trial) who listens to the evidence and decides the verdict.
The defendant in a criminal trial is represented by his defense counsel.
peaches
By finding the defendant either guilty or not guilty.
In a criminal trial they would be the defense attorney and the prosecutor. In a civil trial they would be the plaintiff's attorney and the defendant's attorney.
In a Criminal Trial, you have a Prosecutor and Defendant. The prosecutor's job is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. In a Civil Trial, you have a Plaintiff and a Defendant. The plaintiff's jog is to present the preponderance of the evidence. Both can be jury trials. The bar is lower for the defendant in the Criminal trial. He can demand a jury trial and get it in most situations. Beyond a reasonable doubt means almost certain. Preponderance of evidence means the evidence on the side of the plaintiff is a whole lot stronger than that on the side of the defendant. Still, what a jury will decide and award one party is frequently simply a guess. It can differ quit a bit from theory.
No. A jury is not required for all criminal cases. A defendant can plead guilty or no contest and simply appear before a judge. A defendant can also wave his right to a jury trial and have the trial in front of a judge. A defendant simply has the right to a jury trial in most criminal cases in The United States. There may be a few misdemeanor cases where the penalty is small fine where he is not entitled to a jury trial.
Both trials have a judge and/or a jury as triers of fact. In a criminal trial it is the government, known as a prosecutor, that is actually "suing" the defendant, but instead of for money, it's for that person's freedom for the prescribed time the government wants that person incarcerated. If the prosecutor wins this case the defendant is considered to have been found guilty of criminal charges brought before him. A civil case, on the other hand, is one in which an individual person or an entity is suing you for money. Civil cases are not punishable by any type of incarceration or fines. If the "prosecutor" in a civil trial wins the case, then the defendant is found to be liable in the amount that is awarded. In both types of trials, the persons or entities bringing the case to trial are known as the plaintiff, and the opponents are known as defendants.
The Prosecution (the State) presents the case against the defendant. The Defense Attorney has to provide the defenses.