| A | B |
|---|
| jurisdiction | the right to interpret and apply the law; a court's range of authority |
| exclusive jurisdiction | the authority of the federal courts alone to hear and rule in certain cases |
| concurrent jurisdiction | the authority to hear cases shared by federal and state courts |
| original jurisdiction | the court's authority to hear and decide the case for the first time |
| appellate juristiction | the court's authority to hear cases on appeal |
| civil law | the type of law dealing with the rights and relationships of private citizens |
| plaintiff | a person who files suit in a civil case |
| defendent | one against whom a legal charge has been made |
| criminal law | the type of law dealing with crimes and providing for their punishment |
| judicial review | the power of the courts to establish the constitutionality of national, state, or local acts of government |
| strict consturctionist | the view that judges ought to base their decisions on a narrow interpretation of the language of the Constitution |
| loose constructionist | the view that judges have considerable freedom in intrerpreting the Constitution |
| constitutional law | they type of law relating to the interpretation of the Constitution |
| writ of mandamus | a court order that commands a government official to take a particular action |
| constitutional court | a federal court with constitutionally based powers and whose judges serve for life. The most important are the Supreme Court, the court of appeals, and that district courts |
| legislative court | a specialized court established to hear cases about and execute legislative powers of Congress |
| grand jury | a group of people who evaluate whether there is enough evidence against a person to order him or her to stand trial |
| petit jury | a jury that decides an individual's innicence or guilt; a trial jury |
| senatorial courtesy | the practice in which a presidential nomination is submitted intially for approval to the senators from the nominee's state. |
| writ of certiorari | literally, "made more certain"; an order from a higher court requiring a lower court to send the record of a case for review |
| majority opinion | th view of the Supreme Court justices who agree with a particular ruling |
| dissenting opinion | a Supreme Court opinion by one or more justices in the minority who oppose the ruling |
| concurring opinion | a Supreme Court opinion by one or more justices who agree with the majority's conclusion but wish to offer differing reasons |
| precedent | a judicial decision that is used as a standard in later similiar cases |
| stare decisis | literally, "let the decisions stand"; the practice of basing legal decisions on established Supreme Court precendents from similiar cases |
| judicail activism | the belief that Supreme Court justices should actively make policy and sometimes redefine the Constitution |
| judicial restraint | the belife that Supreme Court justices should not actively try to shape social and political issues or redefine the Constitution |
