| A | B |
|---|
| Article III | sets up the structure and function of the Judicial Branch |
| Supreme Court | the highest court in the land |
| Marbury v. Madison | court case that established judicial review |
| judicial review | the ability to decide if a law or action of the government violates the Constitution |
| majority opinion | the decision of the Supreme Court |
| Chief Justice | the highest ranking member of the Supreme Court |
| 9 | the total number of justices |
| 5 | number needed for a majority |
| William Rehnquist | the current chief justice |
| appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate | how someone becomces a Supreme Court justice |
| no official qualifications | what are the qualifications to become a justice |
| law or politics | typical background for a justice |
| life | the term length for a justice |
| inferior courts | the U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals |
| U.S District Courts | has original jurisdiction over most cases |
| criminal and civil cases | two types of cases that are heard in federal court |
| U.S. Court of Appeals | serves as the gatekeeper to the Supreme Court and never has original jurisdiction |
| decides if Executive Branch decisions/actions are constitutional | Judicial Branch check on the Executive Branch |
| decides constitutionality of laws passed | Judicial Branch check over the Legislative Branch |
| change or dismantle courts AND impeach judges | Congressional check on the Judicial Branch |
| exclusive jurisdiction | cases can only be heard in federal courts |
| concurrent jurisdiction | federal and state courts share power to hear cases |
| original jurisdiction | first to hear/try a case |
| appellate jurisdiction | hears appeals |
| both original and appellate jurisdiction | jurisdiction of the Supreme Court |
| court of last resort | another name for the Supreme Court |
| decisions can only be reversed by the SC or amendment to Constitution | why the SC is known as the court of last resort |
| Chief Justice John Marshall | the chief justice in the Marbury v. Madison case |
| briefs | written documents with detailed statements supporting one side of a case |
| solicitor general | federal government's chief lawyer |
| oral arguments | SC hears arguments from lawyers coveing both sides of the case, 30 minutes each |
| conference | the private meeting where justices discuss and debate the decision for a case |
| opinion | the final decision of the SC is called the majority ____ |
| disssenting opinion | written opinion of the justices who did not agree with the majority opinion |
| precedents | examples to be followed in similar cases, usually by lower courts |
| judicial activism | using position to promote a social change, as in correcting injustices (minority rights) |
| judicial restraint | defer to actions of Exec. and Leg Branches so as to not become legislators, except in cases where a law/action is unconstitutional |
| special courts | these courts hear a narrower range of cases than constitutional courts |
| docket | list of cases to be tried in a particular court |
| writ of centiorari | order from the SC to a lower court to send up the record in a given case |
| Roe v. Wade | 1973, case that upheld a women's right to choose |
| Brown v. Board of Education | 1954, brought an end to separate but equal |
| Plessy v. Ferguson | 1896, established separate but equal law |
| McCulloch v. Maryland | 1819, established that a state cannot tax the federal banks |
| Gibbons v. Ogden | 1824, allowed for Congress to have the power to regulate interstate trade |
| Dred Scott v. Sanford | 1857, upheld property rights over human rights in terms of slaves and free soil |
| Miranda v. Arizona | 1966, decided that a suspect must be advised of his rights before questioning |
