Judicial Gov

What is the dual court system we have in the US?

State and federal / criminal and civil

What is the authority to hear and decide cases based on a geographical location?

Jurisdiction

What is it when the sole right to hear a case?

exclusive jurisdiction

What is concurrent jurisdiction?

when both state courts and federal courts have the right to hear a case

What is the person making a legal complaint?

Plaintiff

What is the person against whom a legal complaint is filed against?

Defendant

What does original jurisdiction mean?

a court's right to have heard a case simply because it was the first court to hear it

What is appellate jurisdiction?

a court's right to hear a case once it has been appealed from a lower court

When it comes to appointing federal judges, how does the president typically choose who they want to take that seat?

Party affiliation

What is the concept that a judge should interpret the constitution according to the framers original intention?

Judicial restraint

What is judicial activism?

the concept that judges can adapt the meaning of the Constitution to contemporary realities

What are previous court rulings on a given legal question?

Precedent

What is senatorial courtesy?

Tradition in which a senator from the same state as a judicial nominee and form the same political party as the president can block the nominee and expect no opposition from other senators

What are grand juries?

panels of citizens that hear evidence of a possible crime and recommend whether the evidence is sufficient to file criminal charges

What is a legal process by which citizens who cannot pay money they owe others can receive court protection and assistance in settling their financial problems?

bankruptcy

What is a magistrate?

judges district-court officials who are appointed for eight years and hear some of the early hearings of criminal trials as well as some misdemeanor and civil cases

What is a misdemeanor?

a minor criminal case punishable by one year or less of jail time

Who is a lawyer that is provided to defendants who cannot afford to hire a lawyer?

Public defender

Who are officials who provide security and police protection at federal courthouses?

Marshalls

What is appellant?

a person who files an appeal to have their case reviewed by a court of appeals

What are written arguments?

Briefs

What is the process like to appeal a case?

Most decisions are upheld unless new evidence is provided in the appeals process

If a court hears a case from a lower level court and changes the ruling, what happens then?

The higher courts decision is now the new decision

What are the federal courts in the US?

US Court of International Trade, US Tax Court, US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

What is sovereign immunity?

principle that a sovereign nation is immune from being sued unless it agrees to be sued

What is a court-martial?

hearings held by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to decide cases involving violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice

What was a supreme court ruling that involved a former slave who could not be allowed to sue for his freedom because he was not considered a person in 1820?

Dred Scott

What was the case in 1896 that upheld segregation in public spaces?

Plessey vs. Furgeson

What happened in 1954 with the Brown vs. Board of Education?

overturned the decision by desegregating the US

Who chooses federal judges and then who approves them?

Presidents / Congress

What is the process where the senate and house go through questioning recommended federal judges under oath?

Confirmation Hearings

What is a writ of certiorari?

Supreme court granting a case to be heard by the supreme court

What is the list of cases to be heard by a court?

docket

How many judges are on the supreme court?

9

What is the majority opinion?

Need 5 of the 9 to decide a case

What does concurring opinions mean?

opinions that agree with the overall conclusion in a case but stress different or additional legal reasoning

What does dissenting opinions mean?

opinions held by the minority of justices who do not agree with the ruling in a case