Misc.
The year that the Federal Court System was establushed.
What is 1789?
The court system that deals with cases primarily involving crime or murder.
What are the state courts?
A request that the lower court sends up its record of the case for review to the supreme court.
What is the writ of certiorari?
The number of justices that were part of the original court in 1789
What is 6?
A non-criminal law defining private rights and remedies
What is Civil Law?
A document written by a justice on the
majority side of a ruling which outlines additional
considerations she thinks are important.
What is a concurring opinion?
The lowest level of the federal court system and how many of them there are.
What are the district courts, 94?
Also known as "a friend of the court"
What is amicus curiae?
The year that congress changed the number of justices to 9
What is 1869?
Pattern of law developed by judges through case decisions largely based on precedent
What is Common Law?
The written document that reflects the
collective judgment of the justices who are on the majority side of a ruling.
What is a majority opinion?
The second level of the federal court system and the number of them there are.
What are the appellate courts, 13?
A written legal argument presented to a court by one party in a case
What is a brief?
The head justice is known as the chief justice, the remaining 8 are known as ________.
What is associate justices?
The abbreviation for the supreme court
What is SCOTUS?
Under _______ jurisdiction, a case is heard for the first time, whereas under ________ jurisdiction, a court hears a case on appeal from a lower court and may change the lower court’s decision.
What is Original Jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction?
The Circuit that Massachussetts is a part of.
What is the 1st Circuit?
It hears appeals from the United States District Courts for the Districts of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island
When the justices meet in a closed meeting discuss cases and take an initial vote.
What is a conference?
The oldest serving supreme court member as of today.
Who is Clarence Thomas?
The list of cases on the Courts calender.
What is a docket?
A document written by a justice on the minority side of a ruling which outlines her own reasoning on the case and identifies the flaws that she perceives in the majority opinion.
What is a dissenting Opinion?
The division of the courts into two separate systems; one being federal and the other being state.
What is a dual court system?
The Supreme Court custom in which a case will be heard when four justices decide to do so.
What is the Rule of Four?
Was to provide the judicial branch with enough independence so that the federal court could not easily be influenced by the political changes of time.
The circuit that Wisconsin is a part of.
What is the 7th circuit?