18. The Federal Court System.

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.