1. Lack of conformity; nonconformity. 2. Geology A surface between successive strata representing a missing interval in the geologic record of time, and produced either by an interruption in deposition or by the erosion of depositionally continuous strata followed by renewed deposition.
Trial Courts. In trial courts, witnesses are heard, testimony is received, exhibits are offered into evidence, and a verdict is rendered. The trial court structure in Texas has several different levels, each level handling different types of cases, with some overlap.
A bench trial is a trial by judge as opposed to a trial by jury. The term applies most appropriately to any administrative hearing in relation to a summary offence, so as to distinguish as to the type of trial. Many legal systems (Roman, Islamic) use bench trials for most or all cases or for certain types of cases.