The Judiciary

1
The Judiciary

• Overview
• I. Judicial Functions
• II. Basic Structure of Court System
• III. The Court and Politics
• IV. Courts as Policy Makers

2
The Judiciary

• Judicial Functions
• a. Conflict Resolution
• b. Social Control
• c. Protection of Minority Rights
• d. Regime Legitimatization
• e. Making Public Policy

3
The Judiciary

• II. Basic Structure of Court System
• a. Civil vs. Criminal Cases
• b. Federal Courts
• - Limited Jurisdiction
• - Pyramid (District, Appeals, Supreme)
• - Supreme Court reactive body through
• Writ of Certiorari

4
The Judiciary

• c. State Courts
• - General Jurisdiction
• - Pyramid (Circuit, Appeals, Supreme)
• - Supreme Court has exclusive appellate
• jurisdiction in federal statutes, state
• statutes and constitution, revenue,
  death
• penalty

5
The Judiciary

• III. The Court and Politics
• a. Selection of Federal Judges
• - Basics
• - Selective Criteria
• District (Senatorial Courtesy)
• Court of Appeals/Supreme Court
• - Partisanship

6
The Judiciary

• b. Political Accountability or Judicial
• Independence?
• - Traditionally, judges independent
• - Considerations

7
The Judiciary

• IV. Judicial Review
• a. Introduction
• b. Marbury v. Madison
• c. Checks to prevent abuse
• d. Seminal decisions
• - Baker vs. Carr and Reapportionment
• - Right to Privacy

8
The Judiciary

• e. Historical Periods
• - 1789 to Civil War
• - Civil War to New Deal
• - Post New Deal
• f. Impact of Expanding Power
• - Court an equal branch
• - Strict vs. Loose Construction
• - Judicial Activism vs. Judicial Restraint