| A | B |
|---|
| plaintiff | an individual or a groups of people who bring a complaint against another party to court |
| defendant | the party who defends against a complaint |
| prosecution | the government body that brings a criminal charge against a defendant |
| precedent | court decisions that establish a guideline for how similar cases should be decided in the future |
| original jurisdiction | the court to which a legal case first goes |
| appeal | plaintiffs or defendants have the right to ask a higher court to review their case |
| appellate jurisdiction | courts that have the authority to hear an appeal |
| judicial review | the power of the Supreme Court to overturn laws |
| judicial activism | an effort by judges to play an active role in making policy |
| judicial restraint | an effort by judges to avoid overturning laws |
| criminal law | the laws that are laws against the people or state |
| civil law | the laws that help settle disagreements between people |
| felony | a crime for which the penalty is imprisonment for more than one year |
| misdemeanor | a crime for which the peanlty is a jail sentence of less than one year, a fine, or a combination of both |
