Chapter 12

A controversy to be decided by a court

Judicial proceedings the government begins against individuals following commission of a crime

A public wrong; an offense, such as murder, against society at large—even though it may have been committed against only a single individual

Noncriminal legal action, such as divorces or attempts to recover damages following an automobile accident

Courts of the 50 states, as opposed to the federal or national courts

The courts of the United States, as distinguished from the courts of the 50 states

Authority of a court or other agency to act

The lowers-level court in a state’s judicial system that hears particular kinds of case involving small claims, traffic violations, and minor criminal infractions

The basic unit of a court system, receiving appeals from courts of limited jurisdiction and serving as trial courts for serious criminal offenses and civil suits involving substantial amounts of money

Courts between courts of general jurisdiction and the court of last resort; in the federal court system, the courts of appeals

The highest court within a particular judicial system, such as a state supreme court, to which a litigant may appeal a case

Method of selecting state judges, involving appointment from a list of recommended nominees and a later retention vote by the electorate

Trial courts in the federal court system in which almost al federal cases begin; courts of general jurisdiction

Intermediate appellate courts in the federal court system, just below the Supreme Court

Includes cases a court receives from lower courts—Congress defines the appellate jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court

An issue that involves the interpretation of the Constitution or a statue or a treaty of the United States

Procedure of the U.S. Supreme Court by which the affirmative votes of four justices are needed to accept a case for decision

Authority of a court over cases that begin in that court, such as courts of general jurisdiction have original jurisdiction over most criminal offenses—the original jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court is very small

The first reversal of a Supreme Court decision (Chisholm vs. Georgia) by constitutional amendment, denying federal courts jurisdiction in suits against a state brought by citizens of another state or foreign country

Custom in the Senate to reject, for federal office, a nominee who is unacceptable to a senator from the nominee’s state when the senator and president are of the same party

The authority of courts to set aside a legislative act as being in violation of the Constitution

A legislature’s understanding of the meaning of a law and what it is designed to accomplish

A court of limited or general jurisdiction in which the disputed facts of a case are heard and decided

Documents filed with a court containing the argument of the parties to a case

Latin for “friend of the court,” referring to persons, government agencies, or groups that are not parties to a case but nonetheless have an interest in its outcome and that make their views known by filing an amicus curiae brief with the court hearing the case

In the Supreme Court the lawyer for the United States who decides which cases the government will appeal to the Supreme Court

Stage in which which opposing counsel verbally present their views to the court during the decision-making process of a court

Statement representing the views of a majority of the judges of a court

A statement issued separately by a judge voting with the majority

A statement issues by a judge explaining his or her disagreement with the majority position

The officially published decisions of the United States Supreme Court

Judges who are least hesitant to invoke judicial review to strike down an act of Congress or of a state legislature

Judges who are reluctant to invoke judicial review to strike down an act of Congress or of a state legislature

Prior decisions of courts; cited as authority by other courts

A legal doctrine that suggests courts should follow precedent as a general rule, breaking with previously legal principles only on rare occasions