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Variables petitioner and respondent provide detailed information about all parties, except the identity of the state if a state (or one of its subdivisions) is a party, petitioner and respondent variables note only whether a state is a party, not the state's name.
In civil actions, the party pursuing the action is called the plaintiff and the party responding to the action is called the defendant. Another difference between criminal and civil actions is the societal purpose or justification for the action.