Vocab CG4,5,6 Georgia's Judicial Branch

Appeal

challenge to a lower court's decision.

Appellate

courts whose responsibility is to review decisions by lower courts.

Chief Justice

presiding justice of the Supreme Court.

Circuit

an area under the jurisdiction of the superior court.

Division

an area under the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals.

Judicial Branch

branch of government responsible for interpreting the laws.

Jurisdiction

geographic or topical area that a court is responsible for.

Limited Jurisdiction

a court whose jurisdiction covers only a specific type of case.

Magistrate Court

a court with the power to issue warrants and try minor criminal cases, civil cases for sums of $15,000 or less, and civil disputes.

Probate Court

court with the power to rule on wills and estates, traffic violations, violations of game and fish laws, grant marriage and firearms licenses and appoint legal guardians.

State Court

court responsible for ruling in misdemeanor cases, preliminary felony case hearings, civil cases, and can issue search warrants.

Superior Court

court responsible for hearing civil and criminal trials, divorce cases, and land titles.

Supreme Court

court responsible for reviewing decisions made in civil or criminal cases, determining the constitutionality of laws, changes to elections, and death sentences.

Court of Appeals

court that reviews civil and criminal cases that have been previously heard by trial courts.

Justices

members of the Supreme Court; on the Supreme Court of Georgia, justices hold six-year terms and are selected by popular vote.

Civil Law

deals with laws created to deal with relationships amongst individuals.

Crimes

serious offenses that are punishable with fines, community service, prison, and sometimes death.

Criminal Law

deals with laws that are created to protect society from wrongdoers.

Tort

a civil wrong against an individual.

Arraigned

a step in the criminal court pretrial process where the suspect is brought before a superior court judge to enter a plea.

Bail

payment a suspect can pay to be released from custody until their trial date; bail is often determined by the magistrate court.

Capital Crimes

crimes that can be punished by the death penalty.

Custody

when a suspect is being held based on probable cause to believe that they committed a crime.

Defendant

person or group being charged for wrongdoing.

Deliberation

when the jury discusses the guilt or innocence of a defendant.

Felony

a serious crime that is punishable by no less than one year in prison.

Grand Jury

a group of citizens look over evidence to determine if a suspect should be charged with a crime.

Indictment

when a grand jury determines that there is enough evidence to be charged with a crime.

Plea Bargain

the ability for a defendant to plead guilty to a lesser charge.

Probable Cause

when there is sufficient evidence that the suspect was involved in a crime.

Suspect

person who has been charged by law enforcement for committing a crime.

Verdict

a determination of guilt or lack thereof by a jury.