| A | B |
|---|
| Inferior Courts | The lower federal courts |
| Jurisdiction | The authority of a court to hear a case |
| Exclusive Jurisdiction | These cases can be heard only in federal courts |
| Concurrent Jurisdiction | Share the power to hear cases |
| Plaintiff | The person who files the suit |
| Defendant | The person whom the complaint is against |
| Original Jurisdiction | A court in which the case is first heard |
| Appellate Jurisdiction | A court that hears a case on appeal from a lower court |
| Criminal Cases | Case in which the defendant is declared by Congress of comitting a federal crime |
| Civil Cases | Involves no criminal cases such as a civil dispute |
| Docket | A list of cases to be heard |
| Writ of Certiorari | An order by the Court directing a lower court to send up the record in a given case for its review |
| Certificate | Used when a lower court is not clear about the procedure or the rule of law that should apply in a case |
| Majority Opinion | Announces the court's decision in a case |
| Precedents | Examples to be followed in similiar cases as they arise in the lower courts |
| Concurring Opinion | To add or emphasize a point that was not made in the majority opinion |
| Dissenting Opinion | Written by justices who do not agree with the court's majority decision |
| Redress | Satisfaction of a claim, payment |
| Courts-Martial | Serve as the special disciplinary needs of the armed forces and are not a part of the federal court system |
| Civilian Tribunal | A court operating as a part of the judicial branch, entirely separate from the military establishment |
