The Federal Court System Chapter 8 1 Lady

The Federal Court System Chapter 8. 1

“Lady Justice” is the symbol of the Federal judiciary • What do the scales represent? • Why is she blindfolded? • Why is she holding a sword? • How do these symbols illustrate the meaning of “equal justice under law? ”

Equal Justice Under Law, p. 75 • What is the source of the concept? • Is the court system “blind? ” Have our courts evolved? • Use pp. 792 -97 to explain how the 14 th amendment relates to each case: – Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) – Brown v. Board of Topeka (1954) – Korematsu & Endo (1944) cases – Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) – Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Types of laws • Criminal Law: Cases where laws have been broken—Can be federal or state crimes. Determined by who passes law. – Congress passes federal laws – NC General Assembly passes state laws • Civil Law: Cases about disputes between two or more parties—Can involve individuals, businesses, government agencies, etc. Can be federal or state cases. Determined by who the plaintiff and defendant are.

Courts and Federalism • US has a dual judicial system – Each state has a hierarchy of courts that deal with state cases and their appeals. – The federal court system deals with federal cases & appeals. • Most civil and criminal actions involve state laws, state disputes, and state courts. • Some cases involve concurrent jurisdiction. These cases involve BOTH federal and state laws and can be tried by both jurisdictions. – Example: Robbing a bank is a federal crime, fleeing the scene and running from police is a state crime.

Jurisdiction Review

Federal Exclusive Jurisdiction Exclusive Federal Cases involving the Constitution Violation of federal laws Disputes between states Disputes between citizens of 2 different states Suits involving the federal gov’t Cases involving foreign nations or treaties Maritime Cases that happen at Sea Cases involving US Diplomat abroad Example of this type of case http: //ww w. youtub e. com/wa tch? v=6 x 5 h. LOdv. UU http: //w ww. you tube. co m/watc h? v=CT 31 I 9 u. C spw&fe ature=r elated http: // www. y outub e. com/ watch ? v=b. L hm. T 4 v Wa. Ec Start at 1: 00 Stop at 4: 30 Discuss example. http: //w ww. yout ube. com /watch? v=z. LMD np. Fw. TQ I&featur e=fvsr http: //w ww. yout ube. com /watch? v=Ii. FX 7 z 9 t 1 A &feature =related http: //w ww. you tube. co m/watc h? v=7 g R_S_B 4 Dgs http: //w ww. yout ube. com /watch? v=xkc. RDhat o. M&feat ure=rela ted

The Federal Court System US Supreme Court US Courts of Appeals Federal District Courts

Assignment • Read 8. 2 -8. 3. Complete overview for p. 74 of notebook. • Due Wednesday!