Supreme Court Vocabulary

the supreme court issuing an order seeking review of a lower court case

• motion
• petition
• writ of certorari

• appeal

list of cases to be heard

• A case summary

• A hearing schedule

• A trial agenda

• A docket

an opinion that is signed by at least five supreme court justices

• dissenting opinion
• unanimous opinion
• concurring opinion
• majority opinion

an opinion that agrees with the overall conclusion in the case but stresses some different or addtional reasoning

• Majority opinion
• Judicial review
• Concurring opinion
• Dissenting opinion

an opinion that is held by the minority of the justices who do not agree with the ruling of the case

• Dissenting opinion
• Majority opinion
• Judicial review
• Concurring opinion

written arguments

• Briefs

• oral arguments

• court

• concurrent decision

lawyers provided to defendants who cannot afford to hire a lawyer

• Private attorneys
• Legal aid organizations
• Pro bono lawyers
• Public defenders

panels of citizens that hear evidence of a possible crime and recommend

whether the evidence is sufficient to file criminal charges

• grand jury
• citizen panel
• trial jury
• petit jury