The Federal Judicial System

Appellate Jurisdiction

Authority of a given court to review cases that have been tired

Plurality opinion

Majority of justices agree but do not agree on legal basis

Concurring opinion

Separate opinion written by a Supreme Court who vote on the majority

Majority opinion

Majority of justices agree on the legal basis

Dissenting opinion

Justice reasons for disagreeing with the majority’s decision

per curiam opinion

Unsigned decision written for the court as a whole

Judicial Activism

Courts should develop new legal principles when judges see the need

Restraint

Judiciary should broadly defer to precedent and the judgement of legislators

Jurisdiction

Courts authority to hear cases of a particular type

Living Constitution Theory

Constitution should be applied to today’s meaning

Originalism Theory

Meaning of the constitution is fixed when it was written

Precedent

Judicial decision that serves as a ruling for settling subsequent cases of a similar nature