| A | B |
|---|
| 6 | Number of justices set by the Act of 1789. |
| 9 | The 3 of justices which changed in 1869. |
| chief justice | Head of Supreme Court |
| Strict constructionist | judges that believe that the laws and the constitution should be followed strictly. |
| loose constructionist | Believes the laws of the constitution should loosely followed. |
| precedent | Guiding principles for determining what is legal in future situations that involve similar issues. |
| Judiciary Act of 1789 | constitutional power to set up a system of federal courts. |
| jurisdiction | authority to interpret and administer the law from the Constitution |
| original jurisdiction | the authority to hear a case's initial trial; these involve cases that arise under the constitution, and other federal laws |
| appellate jurisdiction | have power to review cases previously decided by a lower court |
| district courts | the trial courts of the federal system |
| courts of appeals | Appeals of cases from the US district courts |
| briefs | written legal arguments, sumitted by both sides in the case |
| senatorial courtesy | traditional principle in making distric court nominations |
| John Marshall | Chief Justice in 1801 |
| judicial review | To review decisions |
| John Roberts | Current Chief Justice |
| docket | court's schedule |
| common law | a body of law that developed from traditions, customs and precedents |
| constitutional law | sdf |
| statuatory law | all regulations put forth by a lawmaking government body |
| administrative law | rules and regulations that government agencies |
| concurring opinion | in a court decision, a formal statement by a judge on a judicial panel. |
| majority opinion | a formal statement of the decision of a majority of members of a judicial panel hearing a case that gives the reasons for the decisions. |
| dissenting opinion | a court decsion, a formal statement by a judge on a judicial panel. |
| stare deasis | let the decision stand |
| judicial restraint | the practice of judges narrowly interpreting laws and limiting their decisions in order to avoid making public policy |
| judicial activism | the practice of judges using their court decisions to make new public policy in order to advance what they believe to be desirable social goals. |
| statuatory interpretation | a judicial function in which a judge decides a law's meaning in regards to a specific court case. |
| felonies | major violation of criminal law; minimum a year in jail |
| misdemeanors | is a "lesser" criminal act |
| criminal law | sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential for unique and often severe impositions as punishment for failure to comply |
| defendant | In criminal cases, the person accused of the crime |
| plaintiff | also known as a claimant or complainant, is the party who initiates a lawsuit |
| torts | a body of law that addresses, and provides remedies for, civil wrongs not arising out of contractual obligations |
| property law | is the area of law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property (land as distinct from personal or movable possessions) |
| contracts | a binding legal agreement that is enforceable in a court of law |
| bail | some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit it |
| bond | is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of it |
| indictment | formal accusation that a person has committed a criminal offense |
| probation | a sentence which may be imposed by a court in lieu of incarceration |
| subpoena | a writ issued by a court that commands the presence of a witness to testify, under a penalty for failure. |
| sequestered | to set apart; as in a jury - to keep separate from society |
| peremptory challenge | a right in jury selection for the defense and prosecution to reject a certain number of potential jurors who appear to have an unfavorable bias without having to give any reason |
| petit jury | a jury of 12 to determine the facts and decide the issue in civil or criminal proceedings |
| arraignment | a formal reading of a criminal complaint in the presence of the defendant to inform the defendant of the charges against him or her |
| constitutional interpretation | Judicial interpretation is a theory or mode of thought that explains how the judiciary should interpret the law, particularly constitutional |
| grand jury | type of jury that determines whether there is enough evidence for a trial |
