Judicial Power Flashcards

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1
Q

LNG of Original Jurisdiction

A

Under Article 3 section 1, it states that

Cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers & consuls:
■ All actions or proceedings to which ambassadors or other public ministers of foreign states are parties

AND those in which a state is a party, ■ Controversies between 2+ states
■ Controversies b/w the U.S & a state and
All proceedings by a State against the citizens or aliens of another state

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2
Q

how to amend Original Jurisdiction

A

The only way to add to the original jurisdiction of the SC is through constitutional amendment, not statute.

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3
Q

Can SC review state court decisions

A

SC can review the constitutionality of state laws, the actions of state officials & a state court’s interpretation of the Constitution

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4
Q

SC can review Congress too?

A

SC’s power of judicial review extends to Congress, not just for states

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5
Q

Exceptions Clause LNG

A

Article 3 section 2 clause 2 states that –> Ability of congress to restrict fed court jurisdiction.

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6
Q

Sep of Powers as limit on Congress Authority

A

US v. Klein—At CL, Congress cannot have a law already passed that imposes a specific ruling on the SC where the SC shall hear a case and follow that specific ruling bc it violates the separation of powers doctrine

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7
Q

Prohibition against Advisory Opinions RULE

A

§ Article 3 says courts do not issue advisory opinions because there must:

1) be an actual dispute b/w adverse litigant

2) and the court’s opinion must decide or settle the dispute and be given full faith, and credit.

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8
Q

Con Standing Requirement RULE

Element 1

A

1) an actual or imminent invasion OR a legally protected interest of the P that is concrete and particularized

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9
Q

Standing

defined terms for element 1

A

o Actual—already been harmed
o Imminent—something that is about to happen to you; not abstract or conjectural (op based on incomplete info)
o Legally protected interest—you have a right to
o Concrete & particularized—connects you directly to the harm; personal & individual way

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10
Q

Standing Element 2

A

2) that is caused by the conduct of the D (gov’t) (causation)
o Injury is fairly traceable to D’s conduct

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11
Q

Standing element 3

A

3) and that can be redressed by a decision of the court (redressability)
o Causation & redressability are combined together usually
Use but-for test
○ But for ______ the harm would not be present & Π would not have suffered these harms

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12
Q

Prudential

Prohibition of 3rd Party Req RULE

A

Plaintiff can assert only injuries that he or she has suffered; a plaintiff cannot present the claims of 3rd parties who are not part of the lawsuit

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13
Q

3rd Party Exception

A

a) P who meets all Con Standing Reqs may present claims of 3rd parties with:
1) Relationship b/w the litigant & 3rd party are intertwined
2) And 3rd party alone shall have the ability to assert his right absent the litigant

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14
Q

3rd party exception type

Close relationship b/w plaintiff & 3rd party:

A

➢ Doctor/ patient
➢ Not non-custodial parent

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15
Q

3rd party exception type

Usually Obstacle prevents 3rd party from being able to sue

A

➢ BUT plaintiff can effectively represent 3rd parties’ interests Ex: discrimination, age

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16
Q

3rd party exception type

Organizations/Associations:

A

➢ May sue for its members if:
● Individual members would have standing only if one or they would be affected in a tangible way by the challenged action.
● The interests are germane to the organization’s purpose
Neither the claim nor relief requires the participation of individual members

17
Q

3rd party exception type

Claim Within the Zone of Interests:

A

➢ Plaintiff must raise a claim within the zone of interests
● Plaintiff must be part of the group that was intended to be protected by the Fed or State statute

18
Q

3rd party exception type

Overbreadth Doctrine:

A

➢ An individual is permitted to challenge a statute on the grounds that it violates the 1st amend rights of 3rd parties not before the court
● Must be substantial overbreadth
● Courts should attempt to construe the statute to avoid constitutional problems & attempt to sever the unconstitutional part
● Cannot be used in challenging the regulations of commercial speech

19
Q

Prudential

Prohibition of Generalized Greviances RULE

A

§ Generally, a plaintiff cannot sue as a citizen:
➢ Congress cannot create standing by adding a citizen suit provision into a statute
➢ Even if a statute provides a right for citizens to seek judicial review of action related to the statute, the citizen still must meet standing requirement

§ AND a plaintiff cannot sue as a taxpayer who has a grievance in common with all other taxpayers:

20
Q

Taxpayer Exception to Generalized Grievance

A

■ a taxpayer has standing to challenge gov expenditures as violating the Establishment Clause if:
● It was established under the taxing & spending power AND
● The claim is based on a specific violation of the Constitution
■ So if gov’t expenditures violate ONLY the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment–>taxpayer standing is permitted

21
Q

Ripness RULE

ELEMENT 1

A

Require the court to evaluate both that issues are:
1) suitable (fitness) for judicial resolution
· Fitness—what does the court need to resolve?
■ If all legal issues and facts are fully formed before the court, the court can properly review
■ If the issue is purely legal–> there is no need for a developed factual record bc the court has all the facts–>review based off fitness

22
Q

Ripness RULE

ELEMENT 2

A

2) AND withholding review will cause the P undue hardship
· Hardship—an immediate or substantial impact
■ an extreme burden on costs, financial replanning, etc., incur a huge expense in the following regulation OR choose to break the rule and risk prosecution, and also in this case, lawsuit might harm their reputation and thus sales.
· Timing factor–also consider whether making a potential injured party wait down the road when they face prosecution later

23
Q

Mootness RULE

A

o P must present a live controversy at all stages of fed litigation
○ If anything occurs while lawsuit is pending to end the P’s injury–>the case is to be dismissed as moot

24
Q

Mootness Exception

Capable of repetition but evading review

A

A case is not dismissed even though its moot if there is an injury likely to recur in the future and it is possible that it could happen to the P again and it is of such a short duration that it likely always will evade review.

25
Q

Mootness Exception

Voluntary cessation

A

a case is not to be dismissed as moot if the D voluntarily ceases the allegedly improper behavior but is free to return to it at any time (freely volunteers to not do it again).

26
Q

Mootness Exception

Class action suits

A

properly certified class action suit may continue even if the named P’s claims are rendered moot.

27
Q

Mootness Exception

Compliance with Court Order:

A

➢ Only renders a case moot if there is no possibility that the allegedly offending behavior will resume once the order expires or is lifted

28
Q

Mootness Exception

Secondary/Collateral Consequences

A

➢ When there are collateral matters that remain alive after the main legal question is moot, –> the case is not barred for mootness

➢ Criminal cases:
	● A challenge to a sentence is moot after the sentence has been served unless there are collateral legal consequences that will be imposed
		■ Ex: losing the right to vote, increased severity for future offenses, inability to hold professional licenses 
➢ Civil Cases: A case is not moot as long as the Π continues to suffer harm
29
Q

Political Question Doctrine RULE

A

Fed courts won’t decide issues that are so politically charged that the issue should be resolved by the exec & leg branch –> thus issue is “punted” back to the other branches

30
Q

Pol Q Analysis

A

○ Determine if the issue raises separation of powers concerns
○ Look for any clear textual Constitutional commitment of the claim to the other branches
○ Apply the prudential considerations/factors
○ Just bc you see a fact pattern that is heavily political doesn’t mean a political Q issue.

31
Q

CL Baker Test for Pol Q Doctrine

A

any case held to involve a PolQ will reveal:

1) textually demonstrable commitment of the issue to coordinate political dept or

2) a lack of judicially discoverable and manageable standards for resolving it or

3) the impossibility of deciding without an initial policy determination of a kind clearly for non-judicial discretion or

32
Q

Major Examples that meet Pol Q Baker Test elements

A

1) Republican Form of Gov:
2) Challenges to the President’s Conduct of Foreign Affairs/ Policy:
3) Congress’s Ability to Regulate its Internal Processes:
4) Process for Ratifying Amendments
5) Instances Where the Fed Court Cannot Shape Effective Equitable Relief
6) State decisions based on Adequate & Independent Non-Federal Grounds are not reviewed

33
Q

Pol Q Doctrine

State decisions based on Adequate & Independent Non-Federal Grounds are not reviewed

A

➢ Fed courts will only hear cases appealed from state courts if the state court decision was based on federal grounds

➢ Adequate = to support the judgement/state fully addresses the issue
➢ AND Independent = state law decision cannot be (is not) based/dependent on interpretations of federal law (outside of fed law)
	○ Note: *Look for an express statement that state court’s decision was based on state law*
	} Key: a decision that could stand on a state constitutional law violation alone
34
Q

Pol Q Doctrine

Abstention

A

➢ Fed courts will abstain from resolving a constitutional claim when:
➢ It is based on an unsettled question of state law or
➢ Where the case is pending in a criminal prosecution