The Judicial Branch

1
The Judicial Branch

• Terms and Criminal Proceedings

2
Important Terms

• Chief Justice
• Jurisdiction
• Concurring opinion
• Exclusive jurisdiction
• Grand jury
• Writ of Certiorari
• Remand
• Original jurisdiction
• Judicial Review
• Associate Justices
• Article Three
• Concurrent jurisdiction

• District Courts
• Civil Case
• Majority
• Supreme Court
• Jury
• Court martial
• Congress
• Life
• Appeals
• Docket
• Dissenting Opinion
• Criminal case
• subpoena

3
Terms Defined

• Chief Justice? The top judge in the Supreme
  Court.
• Jurisdiction? The authority of the court to hear
  a case.
• Concurring opinion? If a Supreme Court Justices
  decision agrees with the majority.
• Exclusive jurisdiction? Power of the federal
  courts alone to hear certain cases.
• Grand jury? A group of people who listens to the
  evidence that is available to see if there is
  enough for a trial.

4
Terms Defined

• Writ of Certiorari? An order by a higher court
  directing a lower court to send up the record in
  a given case for review from the Latin meaning
  to be more certain.
• Remand? Occurs when the Appeals Court sends a
  case back down to District Court for retrial.
• Original jurisdiction? The case must be heard in
  a District Court first.
• Judicial Review? The power of a court to
  determine the constitutionality of a governmental
  action.

5
Terms Defined

• Associate Justices? The Supreme Court is made up
  of one Chief Justice and eight associates.
• Article Three? Created the Judicial Branch
• Concurrent jurisdiction? Allows federal and state
  courts to try a case.
• District Courts? The lowest federal courts where
  federal cases begin. They are the only federal
  courts where trials are held.

6
Terms Defined

• Civil Case? A case involving a non-criminal
  matter such as a contract dispute or a claim of
  patent infringement.
• Majority opinion? Officially called the Opinion
  of the Court announces the Courts decision in a
  case and set out the reasoning opinion which it
  is based.
• Supreme Court? The only court that was created by
  the Constitution.
• Jury? A body of persons selected according to law
  who hear evidence and decide questions of fact in
  a court case.
• Court Martial? A court composed of military
  personnel, for the trial of those accused of
  violating military law.

7
Terms Defined

• Congress? Inferior Courts are created by.
• Life? A federal judges term.
• Appeals Court? This court makes sure that a
  suspect received a fair trial in District Court.
• Docket? A courts list of cases to be heard.
  (Court Calendar)
• Dissenting opinion? A justice that has as opinion
  that is not of the majority.

8
Terms Defined

• Criminal Case? A case in which a defendant is
  tried for committing a crime as defined by the
  law.
• Subpoena? An order for a person to appear and to
  produce documents or other requested materials.

9
Criminal Procedure

• Arrest
• Police arrest and book suspect
• Preliminary Hearing
• Suspect appears before a judge and bail is set.
• Indictment
• Grand Jury or judge hears evidence and formally
  charges the suspect of the crime.

10
Criminal Procedure

• Arraignment
• Defendant pleads not guilty
• Trial date is set
• Defendant pleads guilty
• Possibly a plea bargain
• Trial
• Prosecution and defense present case to jury or
  judge and they reach a verdict.
• Acquittal
• Defendant is found not guilty and goes free.
• Sentencing
• Defendant found guilty judge sentences defendant