| A | B |
|---|
| maritime law | branch of law that covers navigation, shipping, and commerce |
| jurisdiction | a court's authority to hear cases |
| original jurisdiction | courts with authority to hear and decide cases for the first time |
| appellate jurisdiction | the power of courts to uphold, reverse, or modify lower court decisions |
| constitutional courts | our national courts based on consitutional law |
| legislative courts | courts created to help carry out legislative powers such as taxes, and regulation of armed forces |
| district courts | having original jurisdiction over most questions of federal law; there is at least one in every state |
| territorial courts | courts created to govern U.S. territories such as the Virgin Islands and Guam |
| supreme court | "court of last resort" |
| sovereign immunity | the United States or any other sovereign government cannot be sued |
| two exceptions to sovereign immunity | public officials can be sued and congress may rule that the government will allow itself to be sued |
| court martial | military court that tried members of the armed forces accused of violating military laws |
| impeachment | the removal of federal officials |
| reasons for impeachment | treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors |
| salary of supreme court judges | $160,000 to $170,000 |
| American Bar Association | nationwide volunteer organization of lawyers |
| names of the two female supreme court justices | sandra day o'connor and ruth bader ginsburg |
| year ruth bader ginsberg was selected as justice | 1993 |
| predominant qualities of judges | attended top colleges and law schools, about 45 years old, white, male, protestant, same political party as President |
| average age of supreme court justices | 53 |
| writs of certiorari | order from the Supreme Court to a lower court to prepare and send records of a case for review |
| moot questions | questions that "make no difference" that the Supreme Court will not answer (for example see page 475) |
| brief | written document arguing one side of a case |
| docket | the Supreme Court's schedule; breifs are filed here |
| 1935 | year Supreme Court building was built |
| law clerks | recent law school graduates with excellent records who help the justices in a variety of ways |
| majority opinion | view of justices who supported a decision |
| concurring opinion | argument that supports majority decision but presents different reasons for reaching that decision |
| dissenting opinion | the minority opinion; in disagreement with the majority |
| judicial restraint | the idea that one's own opinion about the wisdom or evil of a law should be excluded altogether when one is doing judicial duty |
| court packing | efforts to "create" one's own court by selecting justices who will sway in your political direction; most often associated with President Theodore Roosevelt |
| precedent | a case that comes before another, setting a standard for similar cases that follow |
