Presentation Transcript

1. Chapter 18Judicial Branch

   Legislative Courts- 6 courts; created to help Congress to exercise its powers. United States Claims Court- court of original jurisdiction that handles claims against the US for money damages. United States Tax Court- hears cases relating to federal taxes. Cases are citizens or businesses disagreeing with IRS or the Treasury Dept. about taxes they must pay.
2. Chapter 18 Judicial Branch Legislative courts Cont. The Court of Military Appeals- the armed forces’ highest appeals court. This court hears cases involving members of the armed forces convicted of breaking military law. Territorial Courts- court system for the territories of Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico. Handles civil, criminal, and constitutional cases.
3. Chapter 18 Judicial Branch Legislative Courts Cont. Courts of the District of Columbia- a developed judicial system for the nation’s capital. Local courts handling both civil and criminal cases needed to be heard within the District of Columbia. The Court of Veterans’ Appeals-deals with veterans’ claims for benefits and other veterans’ problems. Developed to handle cases for arising from unsettled claims.
4. Chapter 18 Judicial Branch Selection of Federal Judges: Selection made by the president Senatorial Courtesy for district courts and other trial courts…means senator approve selections made by president Usually affiliated with the same political party as the president, even though they try for nonpartisan appointments.
5. Chapter 18Judicial Branch Selection of Federal Judges (Cont.) Selection based on Judicial Philosophy Most appointed judges have the same points of view as that of the president Selection as a federal judge is a lifetime appointment Almost all federal judges have had some legal training or have been a lawyer or judge for years. Considered “America’s Legal Elite”

6. Chapter 18Judicial Branch

   Jurisdiction of Courts: Federal Court Jurisdiction: cases involving United States laws, treaties with foreign nations, interpretations of the Constitution, bankruptcy law and maritime law Concurrent Jurisdiction: both federal and state courts have jurisdiction; an example would be a case involving citizens of different states concerning an amount $50k or higher.
7. Chapter 18Judicial Branch Jurisdiction of Courts: 3. Original and Appellate Jurisdiction: a trial court has original jurisdiction; a case is taken to an appellate court if the person wishes to appeal the decision in their original court case
8. Chapter 18 Judicial Branch Constitutional Courts: Includes Federal district courts 94 federal district courts (California, Texas, and New York have 4 each) Two types of juries: Grand Jury: 16-23 people who decide if enough evidence exists to issue an indictment Petit Jury: 6-12 people who decide guilt or innocence in a trial.

9. Chapter 18 Judicial Branch

   The Supreme Court Jurisdictions: both Original and Appellate Original jurisdiction for the supreme court involves: 1. representatives of foreign governments; 2. cases involving states v. states Appellate jurisdiction; the court hears cases that have been appealed from lower courts of appeals
10. Chapter 18Judicial Branch Supreme Court Justices (judges) Total of 9: 1 chief justice and 8 associate justices Our Chief Justice of the Unites States Supreme Court is John Roberts.
11. Chapter 18Judicial Branch Duties of a Justice: Must decide which cases among the thousands appealed each year to hear (review) Decide the case itself (the verdict) Determine an explanation for that decision (also known as an opinion )
12. Chapter 18 Judicial Branch Other duties of a Justice include: Look after a judicial circuit court ( 1 court per justice, and three justices have 2) Serve on an International Court : like Robert Jackson did at the Nuremberg trials Or head up special commissions like Earl Warren did in 1963 to investigate the Kennedy assassination.
13. Chapter 18 Judicial Branch How Justices are chosen: The president’s choice for justice is usually talked about with ABA (American Bar Association), the attorney general, and other interest groups. Two important interest groups that express their opinions are: NOW (National Organization for Women) and the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Also, the current Justices weigh in on the decision of who will be chosen as a new Supreme Court Justice