Chapter 11: The Federal Courts

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Chapter 11 The Federal Courts

• The Supreme Court played a minor role in American
  govt. until Chief Justice John Marshall was
  appointed in 1801
• Jurisdiction of the Courts
• The U.S. judiciary consists of state federal
  courts.
• State courts are governed by state constitutions
• Federal court system consists of the Supreme
  Court lower federal courts established by
  Congress

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• Federal Court Jurisdiction
• Jurisdiction the authority to hear certain cases
• Concurrent Jurisdiction U.S. has a dual court
  system where jurisdiction between state and
  federal courts may overlap. Exp. A case involving
  people of 2 different states for more than
  50,000
• The case where a case in originally tried is
  called the trial court. A trial court has
  original jurisdiction
• A person may take a case to a court with
  appellate jurisdiction.

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Developing Supreme Court Power

• The Supreme Court must wait for litigants to come
  before them
• Madison v. Marbury, 1803 President Adams
  midnight judges This case gave the court the
  important power of judicial review
• Other Important Cases in the Development of the
  Supreme Court
• Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857
• Due process clause
• Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896
• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954

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Supreme Court

• Supreme Court has both original and appellate
  jurisdiction
• Most cases that the Supreme Court hears are
  appellate in composition, and involve a
  Constitutional issue.
• 9 justices sit on the Supreme Court, they are
  appointed by the President, confirmed by the
  Senate, and their tenure is for life.
• Every Supreme Court case produces two opinions
• Majority Opinion (Concurring opinion)
• Dissenting Opinion