Judicial Branch Vocabulary and Study Guide

Inferior courts

Courts that are lower in the hierarchy than the Supreme Court.

Jurisdiction

The official power to make legal decisions and judgments.

Concurrent jurisdiction

When two or more courts have the authority to hear the same case.

Original jurisdiction

The power of a court to hear a case for the first time.

Appellate jurisdiction

The power of a court to review decisions made by lower courts.

Judicial restraint

The principle that courts should not interfere with the decisions of other branches of government.

Precedent

A legal decision or form of case law that serves as an example for future cases.

Judicial activism

The philosophy that courts should take an active role in ensuring justice and protecting rights.

Judicial review

The power of courts to assess whether a law is in compliance with the Constitution.

Writ of certiorari

An order by a higher court directing a lower court to send up a case for review.

Majority opinion

A judicial opinion agreed to by more than half of the members of a court.

Concurring opinion

An opinion that agrees with the majority opinion but for different reasons.

Dissenting opinion

An opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion of the court.

Appeals court

A court that hears appeals from lower courts.

Supreme Court

The highest court in the United States, which has ultimate jurisdiction over all federal and state court cases.

US District Courts

The general trial courts of the United States federal court system.

US Courts of Appeal

The intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system.

Circuit

A geographical area that a court has jurisdiction over.

Chief Justice

The head of the United States federal court system and the Supreme Court.

Associate Justice

A member of the Supreme Court who is not the Chief Justice.

Article III

The section of the United States Constitution that establishes the judicial branch.

John Marshall

The fourth Chief Justice of the United States, known for establishing the principles of American constitutional law.

Sandra Day O'Connor

The first woman to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Marbury v. Madison

A landmark Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review.