unit 5 test

constitutional court

supreme court

judicial review

courts have right to decide if action was constitutional

special courts

district (civil/criminal), appeals (circuit) and militia (military)

SC justices

9, serve for life

district courts

80% of cases

1 judge

size - determined by number of cases they historically hear

appeals court

created 1891 by congress

13 courts

no juries

appellate jurisdiction

court can review inferior cases

jurisdiction

authority to hear a case

functions/characteristic of supreme court

appeal - 1%make it

rule of 4

over half brief orders - go back to lower courts for reconsideration

most cases from state SC or appeals

current chief justice

john roberts

brown v board of edu

5/17/1954 - ended segregation in schools

mapp v Ohio

3/29/1961 - illegally acquired evidence cant be used in trial

mcdonald v Chicago

2010 - 2nd amendment applies to state and local govs

dobbs v Jackson

2021 - turned abortion back to states

marbury v Madison

1803 - judicial power can interpret laws

precedent

court opinions

judicial activism

adapt for current events - “living doc”

judicial restraint

originalists - “clear violation”

jury

decide if defendant is guilty

grand jury

determine if there is enough evidence to convict before official charges are brought against them - protected by 5th

plea bargain

agreement between defendant and individual included in crime where individual pleads guilty

benefits - expedited process

disadvantages - can make innocent ppl feel pressured to plead guilty

writ of cert

doc stating why a case should be heard by SC

majority opinion

4+ judges vote yes m

minority opinion

why judges voted no

concurring opinion

why voted yes

bench trial

no jury - only judge