front 1 Article III | back 1 Creates the judicial branch and gives the supreme court power to interpret the law. |
front 2 Original Jurisdiction | back 2 The authority of a court to hear a case first |
front 3 Appellate Jurisdiction | back 3 The authority of a court to hear and review decisions made by a lower court in that system. |
front 4 Federalist No. 78 | back 4 Argument by Alexander Hamilton that the federal judiciary would be unlikely to infringe upon rights and liberties but would serve as a check on the other two branches. |
front 5 Judiciary Act of 1789 | back 5 Created the federal court system and established lower courts under the supreme court |
front 6 Good Behavior | back 6 Federal judges can serve for life as long as they do not commit serious crimes. |
front 7 Senatorial Courtesy | back 7 The tradition that the home-state senators can reject a judge nominee if they don't approve. |
front 8 Judiciary Act of 1801 | back 8 Reduced the number of supreme court justices and created new federal judgeship, allowing the outgoing part to appoint more judges. |
front 9 Marbury v. Madison | back 9 Case that established judicial review over federal laws. |
front 10 John Marshall | back 10 The 4th chief justice who strengthened the power of the supreme court and federal government. |
front 11 Judicial Review | back 11 The authority of the supreme court to strike down a law or executive action if it conflicts with the constitution. |
front 12 Criminal Law | back 12 A category of law covering actions that harm the community. |
front 13 Civil Law | back 13 A category of law covering cases involving private rights and relationships between individuals and groups. |
front 14 Federal District Courts | back 14 The lowest level of federal judiciary; these courts usually have original jurisdiction in case that start at the federal level. |
front 15 Federal Courts of Appeals | back 15 The middle level of the federal judiciary; these courts review and hear appeals from the federal district courts. |
front 16 Writ of Certiorari | back 16 Supreme court agrees to hear and review a case. |
front 17 Precedent | back 17 A judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases. |
front 18 Stare Decisis | back 18 the practice of letting a previous legal decision stand. |
front 19 Amicus Curiae Briefs | back 19 Friend of the court, try to influence the precedential effect of the court's ruling. |
front 20 Majority Opinion | back 20 A binding supreme court opinion, which serves as a precedent for Future cases. |
front 21 Concurring Opinion | back 21 An opinion that agrees with the majority decision, offering different or additional reasoning, that does not serve as precedent. |
front 22 Dissenting Opinion | back 22 An opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion and does not serve as precedent |
front 23 Judicial Restraint | back 23 A philosophy that judges should avoid creating new policy changes. |
front 24 Judicial Activism | back 24 A philosophy of constitutional interpretation that justices should wield the power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies. |