Judiciary

Chapter 16: The Federal Courts I. The Nature of the Judicial System (504-507) A. Introduction The judicial system in the United States is an adversarial one in which the courts provide an arena for two parties to bring their conflict before an impartial arbiter. Most cases never reach trial because they are settled by agreements reached out of court. In a criminal law case, an individual is charged by the government with violating a specific law. Civil law involves disputes between two parties and defines relationships between them. B. Participants in the Judicial System