Unit 6 Vocab (Judicial Branch)

Question 1

Political questions

Answer 1

A question regarded by the courts as being a matter to be determined by another department of government rather than of law and therefore one with which they will not deal, as the recognition of a foreign state

Question 2

Statutory construction

Answer 2

The process of determining what a particular statute means so that a court may apply it accurately

Question 3

Solicitor general

Answer 3

The law officer directly below the attorney general in the US Department of Justice, responsible for arguing cases before the US Supreme Court

Question 4

Opinion

Answer 4

A statement that presents the views of the majority of supreme court justices regarding a case

Question 5

Stare decisis

Answer 5

The legal principle of determining points in litigation according to precedent

Question 6

Precedent

Answer 6

A principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts

Question 7

Judicial implementation

Answer 7

The process by which a court’s decision is enforced

Question 8

United States vs Nixon

Answer 8

A landmark United States Supreme Court case that resulted in a unanimous decision against President Richard Nixon, ordering him to deliver tape recordings and other subpoenaed materials to a federal district court