Courts, Litigation, and Administrative Law

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on judicial structures, civil litigation processes, alternative dispute resolution, and administrative law.

Courts of Limited Jurisdiction

Courts authorized to hear only specific, narrowly defined types of cases based on subject matter or monetary limits, such as small claims, traffic, probate, or bankruptcy courts.

Courts of General Jurisdiction

Broad-eligibility trial courts that can hear almost any civil or criminal case not explicitly reserved for another court, serving as the baseline trial level for most major lawsuits.

Delaware Court of Chancery

A specialized court of equity that handles corporate disputes without juries, relying on expert judges to resolve matters using equitable principles rather than strict legal damages.

U.S. District Courts

The baseline trial courts in the federal court system with original jurisdiction that handle initial phases of civil and criminal cases, manage discovery, and host jury trials.

U.S. Courts of Appeals (Circuit Courts)

Intermediate appellate courts in the federal system grouped into regional circuits that possess appellate jurisdiction to review district court decisions for legal errors without holding trials or reviewing new evidence.

U.S. Supreme Court

The ultimate court of last resort that exercises discretionary appellate jurisdiction over federal circuits and state supreme courts on significant federal issues.

Standing

The requirement that a plaintiff must have a personal, tangible, and direct legal stake in the dispute to bring a lawsuit.

Jurisdiction

A court's underlying legal power and authority to hear a case and issue a binding decision.

Venue

The specific geographic location or courthouse where it is most appropriate and legally sound to try a case.

Federal Question

A basis for federal subject matter jurisdiction where the claim directly involves a violation of the U.S. Constitution, federal law, or an international treaty.

Diversity of Citizenship

A basis for federal subject matter jurisdiction where the opposing parties reside in entirely different states and the monetary amount in controversy exceeds $75,000$.

Exclusive Federal Jurisdiction

Subject matter areas from which state courts are legally barred, including bankruptcy, patents, copyrights, trademarks, federal antitrust law, maritime law, and cases involving foreign diplomats.

Numerosity

A class action certification requirement stating that the pool of victims is too large to join them all as individual plaintiffs.

Commonality

A class action certification requirement stating that the legal issues and underlying facts are shared across the whole group of plaintiffs.

Typicality

A class action certification requirement stating that the claims or defenses of the lead plaintiffs are typical of the rest of the class.

Adequacy

A class action certification requirement stating that the chosen lead plaintiffs and lawyers will fairly and fully protect the interests of the absent class members.

Depositions

Out-of-court oral interviews conducted under oath and transcribed by a court reporter for potential trial use.

Interrogatories

Formally structured, written questions sent to the opposing party that must be answered in writing under penalty of perjury.

Requests for Production

Formal legal demands requiring a party to hand over physical documents, electronic records, or access to property.

Requests for Admission

A written list of factual statements sent to the opposing side, asking them to formally admit or deny them to narrow down issues for trial.

Mediation

A collaborative alternative dispute resolution process where a neutral third party guides disputing sides toward a voluntary settlement without authority to impose a solution.

Arbitration

An adversarial alternative dispute resolution process where an independent third party acts as a private judge, reviews evidence, and issues a final, legally binding decision.

Delegation Doctrine

The constitutional rule allowing Congress to delegate specific lawmaking tasks to federal agencies, provided it outlines an intelligible principle to guide them.

Notice-and-Comment Rulemaking

An administrative process where an agency publishes a proposed rule in the Federal Register, opens a public comment period, and publishes a final rule alongside an explanatory statement.

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

An independent official employed by an agency to preside over administrative trials, weigh evidence, rule on objections, and issue an initial decision without a jury.

Remand

A judicial review outcome where a reviewing court sends a matter back to an administrative agency with instructions to fix specific evidentiary errors or procedural missteps.