Judicial Branch Vocabulary

previous court rulings on a given legal question

• docket

• precedent

• jurisdiction

• plaintiff

the concept that judges can adapt the meaning of the Constitution to contemporary realities

• judicial restraint

• original jurisdiction

• judicial activism

• brief

when both state and federal courts hear a case

• appellate jurisdiction

• original jurisdiction

• jurisdiction

• concurrent jurisdiction

a court's right to hear a case simply because it was the first court to hear it

• concurrent jurisdiction

• original jurisdiction

• appellate jurisdiction

• jurisdiction

a court's right to hear a case after it has been appealed from a lower court

• appellate jurisdiction

• original jurisdiction

• concurrent jurisdiction

• jurisdiction

a person against whom a legal complaint is filed

• plaintiff

• defendent

• marshals

• jury

the concept that judges should interpret the Constitution according tot he Framers' original intent

• judicial activism

• writ of certiorari

• briefs

• judicial restraint

lawyers provided to defendents whow can't afford lawyers

• prosecutors

• public defenders

• marshals

• magistrate judges

the person making the legal complaint

• defendent

• judge

• plaintiff

• lawyer

the sole right to hear a case

• exclusive jurisdiction

• original jurisdiction

• concurrent jurisdiction

• jurisdiction