Chapter 2 Flashcards
What is the 3-tiered Federal Court system?
Level 1: US District Court (trial court)
Level 2: US court of appeals
Level 3: US Supreme Court
What are the distinctions between trial and appellate courts?
Trial courts hear cases for the first time, focusing on facts and evidence, while appellate courts review trial court decisions for legal errors, without hearing new evidence
What is the role of judges?
To guide the trial and rule on motions
What is the number of court systems in the US?
52 systems, 50 state systems, one for DC, and one federal system
Level 1: US District Court (Trial court)
Courts of original jurisdiction
Handles criminal and civil cases
Purpose: determine facts, apply legal principles
94 district courts, each state has at least one
Level 2: US court of appeals
Reviews trial court decisions for procedural or substantial legal errors
Three judge panels hear appeals
Cannot retry cases, only review them
11 regional circuit courts, and one for DC
Level 3: US Supreme Court
Highest court in the country
Composed of one chief justice and a eight associate justices
Power to set precedents for all lower courts
Number of justices set by Congress (historically varied, currently 9)
Appellate Court options
- Affirm the lower courts decision
- Reverse the decision and order a new trial
- reverse and order the case dismissed
- remand the case back to the trial court
Fifth Amendment
protects individuals’ rights against double jeopardy
Appeal
Request to a higher court to review a lower court decision
can be made for legal errors, not for factual disagreements
Jurisdiction
Court authority to hear a case
Personal jurisdiction
Over the defendant
Subject jurisdiction
Over the case type
Venue
Geographical area where a case is tried and can be changed due to massive publicity
Supreme Court justices
Appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate
judicial appointment
Lifetime appointment, removable only by impeachment
What are the four types of legal opinions in appellate courts?
- Opinion of the court: majority decision, sets precedent
- Plurality opinion: the largest block of votes, but not a majority.
- Per curiam opinion: unsigned, reflects majority view
- Memorandum decision: no written opinion.
Mootness
Case is no longer relevant
Ripeness
Case must be ready for review
Standing
A party must be directly affected to sue
Affirm
To uphold a lower court decision
Reverse
To overturn a lower courts decision
Remand
To send a case back to a lower court for further action
Majority opinion
Courts decision supported by most justices
Dissenting opinion
Disagreement with the majority
Concurring opinion
Agreement with the majority, but with different reasoning
Precedent
Previous court ruling that serves as a guideline
Double Jeopardy
A defendant cannot be tried twice for the same crime
How are Supreme Court justices appointed?
appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
