Supreme Court

Question	Answer
Supreme Court	Highest court in the federal system Nine Justices
Courts of Appeal	Intermediate level in the federal system 12 "circuit" courts, including D.C. No original jurisdiction; strictly appellate
District Courts	Lowest level in the federal system 94 judicial districts in 50 states & territories No appellate jurisdiction Original jurisdiction over most cases
Article 3	Gives Congress the power to create all other federal courts
Judiciary Act of 1789	Established the three-tiered structure (diagram)
Marbury v. Madison (1803)	Established the power of judicial review
Judicial Review	The power of the Supreme Court to declare a law constitutional or unconstitutional
ALL federal judges are appointed by the ____ and confirmed by majority vote in the ____.	ALL federal judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by majority vote in the Senate.
Original Jurisdiction	Authority of a court to hear a case for the first time
Writ of Certiorari	An order from the Supreme Court telling a lower court to send the records to them
Rule of Four	At least 4 of the 9 justices must vote to hear a case
Brief	A written detailed statement arguing one side of the case
Majority Opinion	The opinion of the Court ; the court's decision in a case
Concurring Opinion	Written by one of the Justices who voted with the majority but stressed different constitutional reasons
Dissenting or Minority Opinion	Expresses a point of view that disagrees with majority opinion

Resource summary

	Created by alanaking1132 about 8 years ago