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| 8428053182 | jurisdiction | the authority of the courts to hear certain cases | 0 | |
| 8428053184 | appellate jurisdiction | courts that hear reviews or appeals of decisions from the lower courts have this | 1 | |
| 8428053186 | Federal District Court | 94 courts (every state, including Puerto Rico and DC, have at least 1) 632 judges original jurisdiction, any type of federal civil or criminal cases created by Judiciary Act of 1789 | 2 | |
| 8428053187 | Court of Appeals | 13 courts 179 judges appellate ONLY created in 1891 | 3 | |
| 8428053188 | Supreme Court | only required court by Constitution 1 court 9 judges-set in 1869 mostly appellate jurisdiction; rarely original jurisdiction | 4 | |
| 8428053189 | constitutional courts | the federal courts created by Congress under Art. 3 of Const. | 5 | |
| 8428053190 | legislative courts | created by Congress include territorial courts, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces | 6 | |
| 8428053191 | who appoints supremes? | President approved by Senate | 7 | |
| 8428053192 | qualifications for Supremes | none | 8 | |
| 8428053193 | term of office for supremes | life when they have "good behavior" can retire | 9 | |
| 8428053194 | removal of supremes | impeachment and conviction death resignation | 10 | |
| 8428053195 | nominations for lower court | Dept. of Justice and White House staff do research for nominations and propose list to Pres.; Pres. usually agrees with them | 11 | |
| 8428053197 | when can appointments be made to supreme court? | only when there's a vacancy | 12 | |
| 8428053198 | traits taken into account when appointing supremes | party affiliation judicial philosophy race, gender, religion, region judicial experience litmus test-are they consistent with their ruling on liberal/conservative issues? acceptable-current justices interview nominees to see if they can work together; Senate must approve | 13 | |
| 8428053199 | something all supremes have | legal training | 14 | |
| 8428053200 | things some supremes have | held government positions lawyers for leading law firms been federal district attorneys been law school professors | 15 | |
| 8428053201 | 1st African American on SC | Thurgood Marshall; appointed by LBJ; argued for Brown v. Board | 16 | |
| 8428053202 | 1st female on SC | Sandra Day O'Connor; appointed by Reagan | 17 | |
| 8428053203 | 1st Hispanic on SC | Sonia Sotomayor; appointed by Obama | 18 | |
| 8428053204 | term of Supremes | begins 1st Monday in October; ends June 30 | 19 | |
| 8428053205 | accepting cases | thousands are appealed each year; they pick a couple hundred they want to hear | 20 | |
| 8428053206 | why are most cases denied? | justices think lower court's decision was right | 21 | |
| 8428053209 | writ of cert | an order by the court directing a lower court to send up a case | 22 | |
| 8428053211 | brief | a detailed statement of the facts of a case supporting their position; written by each side before case | 23 | |
| 8428053212 | amicus curiae | friends of the court; people who come to support or reject arguments of the case | 24 | |
| 8428053213 | oral arguments | timed (usually 30 min); each side presents their case there is an exception for high profile cases (longer time) | 25 | |
| 8428053214 | research | law clerks fact check; supremes meet in private conferences to consider oral arguments | 26 | |
| 8428053215 | majority opinion | explains the court's decision and its reason if chief justice votes w/ majority, chief selects who writes opinion (or writes it himself) | 27 | |
| 8428053216 | if chief justice is voting with minority... | then the most senior associate (person who's been on the longest) decides who writes opinion | 28 | |
| 8428053219 | majority opinions become precedents... | which are standards or guides to be followed in deciding similar cases in the future (common sense) | 29 | |
| 8428053220 | New Deal Era | when FDR was pres., Charles Evans Hughes | 30 | |
| 8428053221 | Warren Court | 1953-1969 | 31 | |
| 8428053222 | Burger Court | 1969-1986 | 32 | |
| 8428053223 | Rehnquist Court | 1986-2005 | 33 | |
| 8428053224 | Roberts Court | 2005-present | 34 | |
| 8428053225 | who is chief justice now? | John Roberts appointed in 2005 by Bush | 35 | |
| 8428053227 | judicial restraint | court avoids making policy; wants to leave policy up to other two branches | 36 | |
| 8428053228 | Appellate court (most important caseload of the supreme court) | They review all final decisions of district courts (except in rare cases). | 37 | |
| 8428053229 | Jurisdiction | The power to make legal decisions and judgments | 38 | |
| 8428053230 | Distinguish between original and appellate jurisdictions of the federal courts. | Original jurisdictions are cases that have been heard for the first time from the lower courts but appellate jurisdiction is a court hearing a case on appeal from the lower court. | 39 | |
| 8428053231 | Original Juridiction | Jurisdiction of a court that hears a case first, usually in a trial. | 40 | |
| 8428053232 | Explain what judicial review is and trace its origins. | A process by which the courts interpret the Constitution. When the courts interpret the Constitution, it allows us to understand how our founding fathers set out to run our country. | 41 | |
| 8428053233 | Courts of appeal (same as appellate court) | Appellate courts that can review all final decisions from district courts. | 42 | |
| 8428053234 | In what cases does the supreme Court hold original jurisdiction? | Cases involving Diplomats from foreign nations, and disputes between states. | 43 | |
| 8428053235 | Describe the history and controversy with FDR's "court-packing" bill. | Franklin Roosevelt announces a controversial plan to expand the Supreme Court to as many as 15 judges to make it more efficient. Critics were against this because they thought FDR was trying to "pack" the court so they neutralized it. Roosevelt came up with a proposal that suggested the retirement of 70-year-old judges. [In the end, this plan was deemed unnecessary and struck down] | 44 | |
| 8428053237 | Criminal law | Is the body of law that relates to crime. | 45 | |
| 8428053238 | Civil law | A law that governs relationships between individuals and defines their legal rights. |  | 46 |
| 8428053241 | Explain the process by which a case reaches the supreme Court and is decided. | The Supreme Court decides to hear a case based on at least four of the nine Justices of the Supreme Court agreeing to grant the Petition for Certiorari. | 47 | |
| 8428053242 | Writ of Certiorari | A decision by the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of a lower court's opinion. | 48 | |
| 8428053243 | Rule of four | A requirement which states that a case can only be heard by a supreme court if four justices vote to hear the case. | 49 | |
| 8428053245 | Case law | Law established by the outcome of former cases | 50 | |
| 8428053246 | Describe the process of judicial selection. List all the factors that may influence the choice of a federal judge. | Judges serving the federal court are nominated by the president and confirmed by Congress. Judges serving the state court are selected through four ways: by the state's governor or legislature, judges can also be chosen by a legislative committee based on the judge's past performance and some judges are selected through partisan, election- voted in by the electorate. | 51 | |
| 8428053247 | Describe the debate between justices who believe in judicial restraint and justice who favor judicial activism. Describe the judicial philosophies of our chief justices. | Justices who believe in judicial restraint encourage judges to limit the exercise of their own power while justices in favor of judicial activism rule based on personal or political considerations rather than on existing law. | 52 | |
| 8428053248 | Judicial restraint | Judges playing minimal policymaking roles, leaving the duty to the legislatures. | 53 | |
| 8428053249 | Judicial activisim | One who believes that the Constitution is a living document whose strength lies in its flexibility and that judges should make bold policy decisions, even charting new constitutional ground by challenging the policy positions of the Congress and the President | 54 | |
| 8428053250 | How does a "loose interpretation of the Constitution differ from a "strict interpretation" of the constitution? | "Strict interpretation" of the constitution is when the government of the U.S. holds only those powers specifically granted to it by the Constitution. "Lose interpretation" is when the government holds all powers that are not specifically denied to it by the Constitution. | 55 | |
| 8428053251 | Why does the Supreme Court often prefer to avoid ruling on "political question"? | By trying to avoid political questions, the court is hoping to earn the respect of the rest of the government, or in other words, to be viewed as being above the political process. | 56 | |
| 8428053256 | Describe the historical judicial consequences of the following courts: Marshall court, Warren Court, and Burger Court. | Marshall court: Gave Supreme Court the right to overturn a law passed by Congress. Warren court: The court expanded civil rights and liberties, judicial power, and the federal power in dramatic ways. Burger Court: The court narrowed fundamental rights. | 57 | |
| 8428053258 | District court | Lowest level of federal courts, where federal cases begin and trials are held (bank robbery, environmental violations, tax envasion) | 58 | |
| 8428053260 | How can Congress check the courts? How can the President check the courts? | Both Congress and the President check the courts because the President appoints the judges and Congress approves that appointment. | 59 | |
| 8428053261 | Explain the relationship between the supreme Court and public opinion. | The supreme court has no concern for public opinion due to the lifetime position of the supreme court judges (aside from pittition). | 60 | |
| 8428053263 | Which President served in the Supreme court? | Taft |  | 61 |
| 8428053264 | Which of the following is empowered to create new federal courts and specify the number of judges who will sit on them? | Congress. | 62 | |
| 8428053266 | What factors does the President look at when appointing a judge? | -Party affiliation -Acceptability to the Senate -Ability of the justice to win elections -Judicial experience | 63 | |
| 8428053267 | Senatorial courtesy | An unwritten tradition whereby nominations for state-level federal judicial posts is not confirmed if they are opposed by a senator from the state in which the nominee will serve. | 64 | |
| 8428053268 | A nonlitigant group or individual that wants to attempt to influence the court in a particular case can file | An anicus curiae brief. | 65 | |
| 8428053269 | Amicus Curiae brief | Legal briefs submitted by a "friend of the court for the purpose of raising additional points of view. | 66 | |
| 8428053270 | Legal brifefs | A legal document which is presented to a court that is dealing with a case involving a party and the brief argues for the victory of one party. | 67 | |
| 8428053271 | Litigate | A person engaged in a lawsuit. | 68 | |
| 8428053273 | plantiff | A person who brings a case against another in a court of law. | 69 | |
| 8428053274 | Why is the doctrine of stare decisis significant? | It is the principle that affirms that courts are bound by prior decisions. | 70 | |
| 8428053275 | Stare decisis | The rule of precedent, whereby a rule or law contained in a judicial decision is commonly viewed as binding on judges whenever the same question is presented. |  | 71 |
| 8428053276 | What can be done once the Supreme court finds a federal law unconstitutional? | Congress can try to amend the constitution. | 72 | |
| 8428053277 | Can a U.S. Supreme court Justice be impeached? | A Supreme Court Justice may be impeached by the House of Representatives and removed from office if convicted in a Senate trial | 73 | |
| 8428053278 | What does the constitution mean by "good behavior" when it comes to Supreme Court justices? | It expects justices to be free from direct political pressures. | 74 | |
| 8428053281 | Concurring opinion | Additional opinion in a court decision written by a member of the majority. | 75 | |
| 8428053282 | Dissenting opinion | Judicial written opinion that contradicts the ruling of the full court. | 76 | |
| 8428053283 | Per Curiann decision | Is a ruling issued by an appellate court to multiple judge in which the decision rendered is made by the court acting collectivelyy and unanimously. | 77 | |
| 8428053284 | Precedent | A decision made by a higher court. | 78 | |
| 8428053286 | Reverse | To rule against. | 79 | |
| 8428053287 | Solicitor General | A presidential appoinntee (lawyer) and the third-ranking office in the Department of justice. | 80 | |
| 8428053288 | Trial court | The first court before which facts of a case are decided. | 81 | |
| 8428053289 | Unanimous Opinion | A written opinion in which all 9 justices agree. | 82 | |
| 8428053290 | The doctrine of stare decisis is significant for which of the following reason? | It is the principle that affirms that courts are bound by prior decisions | 83 | |
| 8428053291 | Who was behind the court case Marbury v madison | John Marshall | 84 |
