18. The Federal Court System.
The National Judiciary.
The Inferior Courts.
The Supreme Court.
The Special Courts.
inferior courts
inferior courtslower federal courts, those beneath the Supreme
Court
jurisdiction
jurisdictionauthority of a court to hear (to try and to decide) a
case the power “to say the law”
exclusive jurisdiction
exclusive jurisdiction
cases can be heard only in the Federal courts
concurrent jurisdiction
concurrent jurisdiction
federal and state courts share the power to hear those cases
plaintiff
plaintiffthe person who files the suit
defendant
defendantthe person whom the complaint is against
original jurisdiction
original jurisdiction
a court in which a case is first heard
appellate jurisdiction
appellate jurisdiction
court of appeals
criminal case
criminal casea defendant is tried for committing some action
that Congress has declared by law to be a federal crime
civil case
civil casesome noncriminal matter, such as a dispute over
the terms of a contract or a claim of patent infringement
docket
docketlist of cases to be heard
writ of certiorari
writ of certiorari“to be made more certain”
an order by the Court directing a lower Court to send up the record in a given case for its review
certificate
certificateprocess used when a lower court is not clear about the procedure or the rule of law that should apply
in a case
majority opinion
majority opinionannounces the Court’s decision in a case and sets
out the reasoning on which it is based
precedent
precedentexamples to be followed in similar cases as they arise in the lower courts or reach the Supreme
Court
concurring opinion
concurring opinion
to add or emphasize a point that was not made in the majority opinion
dissenting opinion
dissenting opinion
often written by those justices who do not agree with the Court’s majority decision
redress
redresssatisfaction of a claim, payment
courts-martial
courts-martialserve the special disciplinary needs of the armed
forces and are not a part of the federal court system
civilian tribunal
civilian tribunala court operating as part of the judicial branch,
entirely separate from the military establishment
The Judicial Branch.
The Judicial Branch.
The Court System.
What Cases Come Under Federal Jurisdiction?
The National Judiciary.
U.S. Federal Court Districts and Circuits.
How Federal Cases Are Appealed.
Interpreting Political Cartoons.
Choosing Federal Judges.
The Scale of Justice.
An Early Supreme Court Drama: Marbury v. Madison
Voices on Government.
Appealing a Case to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court Justices.
Perspectives.
Military Commission.