Court System and Proceedings Flashcards
Jurisdiction
Who has power over what cases
Federal Jurisdiction
Any case arising under the Constitution or reasonably inferred there from, also appealed cases
Diversity of Citizenship
2 people from different states in federal court but still applying state law where the event occurred
State Court Jurisdiction
Anything non-constitution related
May States add protections?
Yes. Constitutional Law is the floor not the ceiling, States may add protections but once constitution says no it is a no for everyone
Federal Court System Order
US District Courts - US Circuit Courts of Appeal - US Supreme Court
US District Courts
Handles most cases, trials, verdicts, judgments. 94 districts, at least one per state,
US Circuit Courts of Appeal
Mandatory appeals, error correction, 12
US Supreme Court
Discretionary appeals, inter circulatory debates, writ of certiorari required
Writ of Certiorari
Request to be heard by USSC, to be granted 4 judges must agree (rule of 4), requesting to send record of the case for USSC review, denial is not precedent
Specialty Courts
Created in Article I, Bankruptcy courts ex
General Jurisdiction
As long as rules are followed district courts will hear it, first place to get heard, no discretion (Only need to meet jurisdiction and procedural requirements)
Trial Process Overview
Pretrial (Pleadings, discovery, motions), Jury selection (Vior Dire), Opening Statements, Case in Chief (Direct, cross, redirect, recross), rules of evidence, closing arguments, jury instructions, jury deliberation, verdict, judgement, appeal
Pretrial
Pleading, discovery, motions (90% of cases never go past pretrial)
Plaintiff Complaint
Filed in court then served to defendant, cause of action, at the end prayer for relief (what you want)
Defendant Answer
Defendant admits or denies what has been brought against them
Discovery
Declaring witnesses, asking for information (documents, etc), interogitoria, request for things, written under oath testimonies, depositions (Giving all info to other side)
Motion Process
A request to the court for something, takes place before and during trial, (Dismiss case, limit evidence, etc)
Jury Selection
Guaranteed an unbiased jury, summon a pool of options then ask about biases
Vior Dire
Questioning process for jury selection
Opening Statements
Not evidence, telling the story, tell them what you’re going to tell them throughout the trial
Case-in-Chief
Plaintiff starts since they have the burden of proof, then defense to prove it wasn’t enough, done through questioning witnesses
Direct Examination
Part that calls the witness questioning, trying to get proof from witness, open-ended questions
Cross Examination
Opposition is questioning same witness, trying to undermine credibility, leading quesitons
Redirect (Re-Cross)
Back to questioning by original party, open-ended questions, can only redirect on things mentioned in the cross
Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE)
Specifics on what, who, and how evidence can be presented, promotes reliable fact finding. Witnesses, relevance, negligence, witness credibility, hearsay
Objections
When evidence offered violates the federal rules of evidence. Sustatianed (Agrees evidence can’t come in), Overruled (Evidence can come in)
Witnesses
You can only testify about information you personally know or saw. FRE