| A | B |
|---|
| interpret | to explain the meaning of something |
| criminal case | legal matter concerning whether someone committed a crime |
| civil case | legal matter in which one party in a dispute claims to have been harmed by the other |
| dual court system | a court system made up of both state and federal courts |
| jurisdiction | authority to hear and decide a case |
| exclusive jurisdiction | sole authority to hear and decide a case |
| concurrent jurisdiction | authority of both state and federal courts to hear a case |
| appellate jurisdiction | the authority of a court to hear a case appealed from a lower court |
| ruling | an official decision by a judge or a court that settles a case and may also establish the meaning of a law |
| opinion | a detailed explanation of the legal thinking behind a court's decision in a case |
| litigant | party to a lawsuit |
| tenure | the right to hold an office once a person is confirmed |
| magistrate judge | a federal judge who does much of a district court's routine work |
| subpoena | court order to appear in court or to produce evidence |
| chief justice | the leader of the U.S. Supreme Court who is also responsible for overseeing the whole judicial system |
| confirmation hearing | set of meetings by the Senate Judiciary Committee to consider and vote on people nominated to be federal judges |
| judicial review | the power of the Supreme Court to say whether any federal, state, or local law or government action goes against the Constitution |
| nullify | to cancel legally |
| provision | specific part of a law |
| writ of certiorari | an order a higher court issues to a lower court to obtain the records of a previous case |
| docket | a court's calendar, showing the schedule of cases it is to hear |
| caseload | a judge's or court's workload of cases in a period of time |
| brief | a written document explaining the position of one side or the other in a case |
| oral argument | public session of the U.S. Supreme Court in which lawyers for each party discuss their view of the law and answer the justices' questions |
| majority opinion | the Court's statement of its decision in a case |
| draft | to write an early version of something |
| concurring opinion | a statement written by a justice who votes with the majority but reaches the same conclusion based on different legal reasoning |
| dissenting opinion | a statement written by a justice who disagrees with the majority opinion and presents his or her legal reasoning |
