The Judicial Branch Chapter 18 The National Judiciary

The Judicial Branch Chapter 18

The National Judiciary Section 1

I. Creating a National Judiciary A. Articles of Confederation a. lacked national judiciary B. Constitutional Convention a. explain & define true meaning of the law

II. Dual Court System in United States A. Dual Court System a. Federal Courts b. State Courts B. Types of Federal Courts a. Constitutional i. Article III b. Special i. Expressed Powers

III. Federal Court Jurisdiction A. Supreme Court a. special case B. Original Jurisdiction a. first to hear a case b. district courts C. Appellate Jurisdiction a. review cases i. not retry cases! b. appellate courts

IV. Appointment of Federal Judges A. Term a. “good behavior” b. free from outside pressures B. Selection Process a. President Appoints b. Senate Confirms

C. Supreme Court nominees a. political capital for President b. “lasting legacy” c. Political Philosophies & appointment process d. Merrick Garland

D. Lower Court Nominees a. senatorial courtesy E. Role of Partisanship a. 90% from President’s party

V. The Limits of Judicial Power A. How much power do justices have? B. Judicial Restraint a. defer to precedent and legislature

C. Judicial Activism a. judges should take an active role in the government

VI. Interpreting the Constitution A. Originalism a. look at it at time it was written b. “Figure out what the Constitution was understood to mean when it was adopted” c. Conservative philosophy

B. Living Constitution a. liberal philosophy b. Constitution ought to be accommodated to the current times and events

The Inferior Courts Section 2

I. Federal District Courts A. District Courts a. “work horses”

B. Jurisdiction a. Original i. “courts of first instance” b. Types of Cases i. criminal ii. civil c. Use of Juries

II. Federal Courts of Appeals A. Gatekeepers a. established 1891 B. Appellate Judges a. sit in panels of 3 b. en banc C. Jurisdiction a. appellate

The Supreme Court Section 3

I. Supreme Court Jurisdiction A. Highest Court in the Land a. Only Court created by Constitution b. Chief Justice & 8 associate Justices B. Jurisdiction a. Original b. Appellate**

II. Selecting & Deciding Cases A. Judicial Review a. Marbury v. Madison b. used sparingly B. Establishing Precedent a. “guidelines” for lower courts b. Stare Decisis

C. Deciding Cases Process a. “rule of 4” b. writ of certiorari i. transcripts of lower court c. Oral Arguments i. both sides 30 min w/ Judicial Questions d. Judicial Conference i. PRIVATE

III. Issuing Decisions & Opinions A. Decision a. which side the Court “sides” with B. Opinion a. more important b. justification/explanation of decision

C. Types of Opinions a. Majority i. “winning side” b. Dissenting i. “losing side” ii. for now? ? ? 1. Justice Hugo Black a. “right to counsel” b. Gideon v. Wainwright