| A | B |
|---|
| appeals | apply to a higher court for a reversal of the decision of a lower court |
| appellate jurisdiction | the power of a court to hear cases from lower courts |
| Article | a section of the Constitution |
| Chief Justice | the presiding justice on the Supreme Court |
| judgment | a ruling made by a court |
| judicial branch | the branch of government that interprets the law |
| judicial review | the power of the courts to decide if a law is constitutional |
| jurisdiction | the official power to make legal decisions and judgments |
| original jurisdiction | the power of a court to decide a case from the beginning |
| summary judgment | a legal decision that avoids a formal trial |
| U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal | appellate courts that hears cases from U.S. District Courts |
| U.S. District Courts | the lowest level of federal criminal courts; they have original jurisdiction |
| U.S. Supreme Court | the highest court in the U.S. court system |
| writ of certiorari | an order a higher court issues in order to review the decision and proceedings in a lower court |
| Florida Circuit Courts | trial courts in Florida |
| civil law | law that resolves disputes between parties |
| county courts | there are 67 of these in Florida |
| county clerk | an elected county official who is responsible for maintaining public records |
| criminal law | system of laws concerning punishment for breaking laws |
| District Court of Appeals | Florida's appellate court that hears cases from circuit courts |
| federalism | system of power sharing between the federal and state governments |
| Florida Supreme Court | the highest court in Florida |
| judge | the presiding officer in a court of law |
| jury | a body of people (typically twelve in number) sworn to give a verdict in a legal case on the basis of evidence submitted to them in court. |
| evidence | proof supporting a claim or belief |
| federal courts | courts on the federal level |
| state courts | courts on the state level |
| motion | a formal proposal |
| deposition | a formal statement given for the court |
| witness | a person giving sworn testimony to a court of law or the police |
| bench trial | A bench trial is a trial by judge, as opposed to a trial by jury. |
| jury trial | a jury decides whether the defendant committed the crime as charged in a criminal case, or whether the defendant injured the plaintiff in a civil case |
| appellee | the respondent in a case appealed to a higher court |
| brief | a written summary of the facts and legal points supporting one side of a case, for presentation to a court. |
| case law | the law as established by the outcome of former court cases |
| acquittal | a judgment that a person is not guilty of the crime with which the person has been charged |
| conviction | a formal declaration that someone is guilty of a criminal offense, made by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law. |
| Brown v. Board of Education | Supreme Court ruling that ended segregation in public schools |
| Bush v. Gore | Supreme Court ruling that resolved the 2000 presidential election |
| District of Columbia v. Heller | Supreme Court ruling on the right to bear arms |
| Equal Protection Clause | a clause within the text of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. |
| executive privilege | the privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch of the US government, of withholding information in the public interest. |
| Gideon v. Wainwright | Supreme Court ruling protecting the rights of the accused to have legal counsel |
| Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier | Supreme Court decision limiting the free speech rights of students in school publications |
| In re Gault | Supreme Court decision protecting the rights of juvenile defendants |
| judicial opinion | the opinion of the court |
| judicial review | the power of the courts to decide if a law is constitutional |
| juvenile rights | the rights of minors under the age of 18 |
| legal equality | equal rights under the law |
| legal precedent | the example set for future court decisions |
| Marbury v. Madison | Supreme Court decision that established judicial review |
| Miranda v. Arizona | Supreme Court decision that protects the accused from self-incrimination |
| Plessy v. Ferguson | Supreme Court decision that established separate but equal segregation |
| prosecute | institute legal proceedings against |
| rights of the accused | the rights of people accused in criminal court |
| segregation | separation of the races (e.g. white and black under Jim Crow laws) |
| self-incrimination | confessing against oneself |
| separation of powers | principle of keeping one branch of government from taking over |
| Tinker v. Des Moines | Supreme Court decision protecting the rights of students to engage in non-disruptive protests |
| unanimous | Everyone agrees |
| United States v. Nixon | Supreme Court decision that the laws apply to the President (rule of law) |
