Ch. 8 Vocab

Question 0

defendant

Answer 0

the party who answers a complaint and defends against it

Question 1

plaintiff

Answer 1

an individual or group of people who bring a complaint against another party

Question 2

prosecution

Answer 2

a government body that brings a criminal charge against a defendant who is accused of breaking one of its laws

Question 3

precedent

Answer 3

a guideline for how all similar cases should be handled in the future

Question 4

original jurisdiction

Answer 4

the authority to hear a case first

Question 5

appellate jurisdiction

Answer 5

the authority to hear an appeal

Question 6

appeal

Answer 6

to ask a higher court to review the decision and determine if justice was done

Question 7

courts of appeals

Answer 7

handle appeals from the federal district courts

Question 8

circuit courts

Answer 8

another name for courts of appeals

Question 9

judicial review

Answer 9

the power to overturn any law that the court decides is in conflict with the Constitution

Question 10

opinion

Answer 10

a written statement explaining the reasons for decision

Question 11

judicial activism

Answer 11

an effort by judges to take an active role in policymaking by overturning laws relatively often

Question 12

judicial restraint

Answer 12

an effort by judges to avoid overturning laws and to leave policymaking to the two other branches of the government