Chapter 18

Question 1

Name the two court systems and give an approximation of the number of courts they have

Answer 1

National-over 100

State-1000s

Question 2

Who can create the inferior courts and the lower federal courts?

Answer 2

Congress

Question 3

What created the Supreme Court?

Answer 3

The constitution

Question 4

Name and describe the two types of federal courts

Answer 4

Constitutional- exercise “the judicial power of the United States”

Special- cases arising out of the expressed powers given to congress in article 1

Question 5

What is jurisdiction?

Answer 5

The authority of a court to hear (to try and decide) a case

Question 6

What is exclusive jurisdiction?

Answer 6

Only federal courts

Question 7

What is concurrent jurisdiction?

Answer 7

Cases in either the state or federal courts

Question 8

What is original jurisdiction?

Answer 8

The court in which the case was first heard has original jurisdiction

Question 9

What is appellate jurisdiction, and who has both original and appellate jurisdiction?

Answer 9

The court that hears a case form a lower court has appellate jurisdiction, Supreme Court

Question 10

Who appoints judges?

Answer 10

The president with approval from congress

Question 11

Where do most president pull their judges from?

Answer 11

Their own party

Question 12

How long do Supreme Court judges stay for?

Answer 12

Life, or until they resign, retire, or die

Question 13

What are the inferior courts?

Answer 13

The core of the federal judicial system hearing nearly all of the cases tried in federal courts

Question 14

What are the district courts?

Answer 14

The federal trial courts that handle 80% of the federal caseload and has the largest jurisdiction

Question 15

Describe a criminal and civil case

Answer 15

Criminal- a defendant is tried for committing some action that congress has declared to be a federal law

Civil- non criminal

Question 16

What does the Federal Court of Appeals do?

Answer 16

Acts as a “gatekeeper” to relieve the Supreme Court of so much of the work, hear appeals from district courts, consider cases from regulatory agencies

Question 17

What does the Court of International Trade do?

Answer 17

Hear cases arising out of tariff and other trade related laws

Question 18

What does the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit do?

Answer 18

Centralize and speed up the handling of appeals in certain kinds of civil cases

Question 19

What was the court system like during the articles of confederation?

Answer 19

There was no national court or national judiciary

Question 20

What court is the final authority on questions of federal law?

Answer 20

Supreme

Question 21

Name the case that gave the supreme court its powers and describe what it did

Answer 21

Marbury v Madison- gave the Supreme Court the right to declare acts of congress unconstitutional

Question 22

About how many cases does the Supreme Court hear each year?

Answer 22

100s

Question 23

How is the decision made to put a case on the Supreme Court’s docket?

Answer 23

4 out of the nine justices must want it on there

Question 24

What is the name for how most cases reach the Supreme Court?

Answer 24

Writ of Certiorari

Question 25

What is the majority opinion?

Answer 25

Announcement of the courts decision in a case and sets out a reasoning upon which it wad based

Question 26

What is the precedent?

Answer 26

The court decision that stands as an example to be followed in future similar cases

Question 27

What is the concurring opinion?

Answer 27

A written explanation of the views of one or more judges who support a decision reached by a majority of the court, but wish to add or emphasize a point that was not made in the majority decision

Question 28

What is a dissenting opinion?

Answer 28

Written explanation of the view of one or more judges who disagree with a decision reached by the majority

Question 29

What is a landmark decision?

Answer 29

A case that sets a precedent for laws in the U.S.

Question 30

Describe the jurisdiction of special courts

Answer 30

Very narrow

Question 31

What is a court martial?

Answer 31

A court that is composed of military personnel for the trial of those accused of violating military laws