STANDARD(S): 12.1 Students explain the fundamental principles and moral values of American democracy. LEARNING OBJECTIVES/ GOALS/ SWBAT 1.Contrast the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. 2.Explain how a citizen can sue the United States government in the Court of Federal Claims. 3.Examine the roles of the territorial courts and those of the District of Columbia Courts. 4.Explain what types of cases are brought to the Tax Court.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 3 Chapter 18, Section 4 Key Terms redress: satisfaction of a legal claim, such as payment for damages courts-martial: military courts that serve the special needs of the armed forces and are not part of the federal court system civilian tribunal: a court belonging to the judicial branch, separate from the military courts
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 4 Chapter 18, Section 4 Introduction What are the special courts, and what are the jurisdictions of each? –The Military and Veterans Claims Courts deal with the armed forces. –The Court of Federal Claims deals with legal claims made against the federal government. –The Territorial Courts act as local courts for federal territories. –The District of Columbia Courts act as federal and local courts for the District of Columbia. –The United States Tax Court hears civil cases involving the nation’s tax laws.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 5 Chapter 18, Section 4 COURT Number of Judges Terms of Judges Types of Cases 1. United States Court of Federal Claims 1a. 161b. 15 years1c. hears cases in which there are claims against the government of the United States from all over the country
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 6 Chapter 18, Section 4 Special Courts Unlike the constitutional courts, Congress established the special courts under the authority of Article I of the Constitution. This means that each special court has a very narrow jurisdiction, hearing only specific types of cases. Special court judges are appointed for fixed terms, not for life.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 7 Chapter 18, Section 4 Courts-Martial Courts-martial are military courts and not part of the federal court system. –They try only members of the military accused of violating military law. –In a courts-martial, only two-thirds of the panel, or jury, has to agree on a verdict, unlike the unanimous verdict required in civilian courts.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 8 Chapter 18, Section 4 COURTNumber of Judges Terms of Judges Types of Cases 2. Territorial Courts 2c. hear cases like those heard in local State courts throughout the United States
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 9 Chapter 18, Section 4 Courts-Martial, cont. All court officials in the courts-martial-- judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors, and so forth--are members of the military, usually officers.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 10 Chapter 18, Section 4
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 11 Chapter 18, Section 4 Military Courts of Appeal Congress created the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in 1950 to review serious convictions of military personnel. –This is a civilian court that hears appeals of military court rulings. Congress established the Court of Appeals for Veterans in 1988 to hear appeals of decisions about veterans’ benefits made by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 12 Chapter 18, Section 4 COURT Number of Judges Terms of Judges Types of Cases 3. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces 3a. 53b.15 years3c. hears appeals of serious court- martial convictions
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 13 Chapter 18, Section 4 Military Commissions In 2001, President George W. Bush ordered the creation of military commissions to try captured “unlawful enemy combatants.” –Most of these suspected terrorists are held in military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. –In 2006, the Supreme Court ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that only Congress could approve such military commissions, which it did with the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 14 Chapter 18, Section 4 Military Tribunals Military tribunals have been established at various times in America’s past - during the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and World War II. –How do the bystanders in this cartoon view the military commissions at Guantanamo Bay?
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 15 Chapter 18, Section 4 COURT Number of Judges Terms of Judges Types of Cases 4. Court of Appeals for Veteran Affairs 4a. 74b. 15 years4c. hears appeals from the decisions of the Board of Veterans Appeals in the Department of Veterans Affairs
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 16 Chapter 18, Section 4 Court of Federal Claims Checkpoint: What types of cases does the Court of Federal Claims hear? –The United States government cannot be sued by anyone, for any reason, in any court, unless it agrees to be sued. –So, Congress created the Court of Federal Claims to allow people to sue the federal government for damages.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 17 Chapter 18, Section 4 Special Jurisdictions The Territorial Courts act as local courts for the U.S. territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The District of Columbia Courts include the trial court and court of appeals for the District, as well as its federal district court and court of appeals.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 18 Chapter 18, Section 4 COURT Number of Judges Terms of Judges Types of Cases United States Tax Court 5a. 195b. 15 years5c. hears civil cases involving disputes over tax laws
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 19 Chapter 18, Section 4 U.S. Tax Court Congress created the United States Tax Court in 1969 to hear civil cases involving the nation’s tax laws. –The Tax Court is not part of the federal court system. –Most of its cases come from the Internal Revenue Service and other Treasury Department agencies.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 20 Chapter 18, Section 4 Review Now that you have learned about the special courts and their jurisdiction, go back and answer the Chapter Essential Question. –Does the structure of the federal court system allow it to administer justice effectively?
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.Slide 21 Chapter 18, Section 4 1.Redresssatisfaction of a claim 1.Court- martial a court consisting of military officers who try cases of violation of military law by members of the armed services 1.Civilian tribunal a court operating as part of the judicial branch, entirely separate from the military establishment