Court Structure
This is the lowest level of the federal court system where trials take place.
What are U.S. District Courts?
The highest court in the United States.
What is the Supreme Court?
The power to declare laws unconstitutional.
What is judicial review?
A case involving citizens from different states can often be heard in this court system.
What is the federal court system?
The president chooses federal judges, but this group must approve them.
What is the U.S. Senate?
A group of citizens who decide the outcome of a trial.
What is a jury?
After losing in a district court, a person asks a higher court to review the decision.
What is the U.S. Court of Appeals?
The written explanation of the Court's decision agreed on by most justices.
What is the majority opinion?
This principle allows different branches of government to limit each other's power.
What are checks and balances?
A case involving a person's freedom of speech may be heard in federal court because it involves this.
What is the U.S. Constitution?
Federal judges serve this type of term.
What is life tenure?
An earlier court decision that judges use as a guide.
What is precedent?
The courts correct order from lowest to highest is.
What is Trial Court → Appellate Court → Supreme Court?
A justice who disagrees with the decision writes this type of opinion.
What is a dissenting opinion?
Courts refuse to hear cases when there is no real legal dispute because they only decide this type of case.
What are actual legal disputes (real cases)?
A case where someone is determining whether a person is guilty or innocent.
What is a criminal case?
Life terms help protect judges from political pressure and ensure this.
What is judicial independence?
When an appeals court sends a case back for another trial.
What is remanding a case?
This court has original jurisdiction in disputes between states.
What is the U.S. Supreme Court?
This Supreme Court case established judicial review.
What is Marbury v. Madison?
When the Supreme Court rules a law unconstitutional, and the other branched must follow the decision. This is an example of what principle
Checks and balances
A disagreement between two companies over a business contract is an example of this type of case.
What is a civil case?
The branch of government that reviews laws and decides whether they follow the Constitution.
What is the Judicial Branch?
The court that reviews whether a lower court made a mistake.
What is the Court of Appeals?
A federal criminal case involving witnesses and a jury would most likely begin here.
What is a U.S. District Court?
This Supreme Court case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and ended school segregation.
What is Brown v. Board of Education?
Even though the Supreme Court makes decisions, this branch usually enforces them.
What is the executive branch?
A conflict between two states over water rights could go directly to the Supreme Court because of this.
What is original jurisdiction?
Congress can respond to a Supreme Court decision by doing this to the Constitution.
What is passing a constitutional amendment?
A court decision that all lower courts must follow.
What is a binding precedent?