Chapter 1 pt. 3 Flashcards
The federal court system today consists of three primary tiers
1.
2.
3.
- district courts
- intermediate appellate courts
- Supreme Court
The district court is the ____ ______, or the court of ______ _______, for the federal court system.
trial court
original jurisdiction
There are currently how many federal judicial districts?
94
In each district there is a United States District Court.
True
There are approximately how many federal district judges?
650
Are federal district judges appointed for life ?
Yes
The number of judges ranges from __ to ___ depending on the population of the individual district.
2
28
Subordinate judicial officers are referred to as
magistrates (Judges)
Who conducts preliminary proceedings in cases before the district court and issue warrants?
Magistrates (Judges)
What courts have original jurisdiction over both civil matters and criminal cases involving federal statues?
Federal District Courts
What refers to the situation where the opposing parties are from different states?
Diversity of citizenship
Because the Constitution requires a speedy trial, criminal cases take precedence, and civil cases are often delayed.
True
How long are federal judges appointed for?
Life
After district court the next level of court is?
Courts of Appeals
Courts of Appeals are also sometimes referred to as?
circuit courts
Today there are how many courts of appeals ?
13
11 for the fifty states
1 for District of Columbia
1 for the federal circuit
Court of Appeals
Appeals are heard by _____ _______ _______.
Three Judge Panels
For the court of appeals if there are conflicting decisions involving the same legal issue between two panels, the entire circuit may sit en banc and rehear the case.
True
The Supreme Court is known as the “___________”
Court of Last Resort
What is an order issued by the Supreme Court to the lower court to send the record of the case up to the Supreme Court?
Writ of Certiorari
Who votes to determine if the Supreme Court accepts a case?
Justices
If four or more justices vote to accept a case it is placed on the Court’s docket. What is this called ?
rule of 4
Supreme Court has three main purposes:
- to resolve disputes between states
- to resolve conflicting opinions of lower federal and state courts
- to resolve constitutional questions
True
resolve disputes between states
Supreme Court
resolve conflicting opinions of lower federal and state courts
Supreme Court
resolve constitutional questions
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is currently composed of how many justices?
9
What are the courts that deal with less serious criminal offenses and civil cases?
Courts of Limited Jurisdiction
What is an entirely new trial that is conducted as if the previous proceeding had not occurred?
Trial de novo
The primary purpose of the intermediate court of appeals is to hear ____ and _____ appeals.
Civil and Criminal
A direct appeal if also referred to as “an appeal as a matter of right.”
True
48 states have one court of last resort and two states have two. Which states have two ?
Oklahoma and Texas
The number of judges on the court of last resort varies from ___ to ___.
3 to 9
