1. Judicial Branch
Chapter 8
Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4

2. Judicial Branch Article III of Constitution Interprets Laws
Start at the bottom and work your way up through appeals
Appeal- request to rehear or retry a case

3. District Courts District Courts- Where trials begin Description
Decide guilt or innocence
Only courts where witnesses testify, juries hear cases, reach verdicts
Original Jurisdiction: hear cases for the first time
Number: 94 Total Courts

4. District Court Location: Each state has at least one
NC has 3 (Western, Central, and Eastern)
Judges: 1 Judge reviews each case
President appoints, Senate approves
Term: LIFE (die in office or retire)
Can be removed by impeachment

5. Appeals Courts Appeals Courts- review decisions made in district court
Description
Does not decide guilt or innocence, only if there was a fair trial
Does not hold trials, no witnesses, juries, etc.
Does not hear all cases- if they do not hear it the lower court decision is final

6. Appeals Courts Possible rulings: 1. Uphold/Keep the original decision
2. Reverse the original decision
3. Remand the case- sending it back to the lower courts to be tried again (redo)
Appellate Jurisdiction: Authority to hear a case appealed from a lower court
Number: 12

8. Appeals Courts Location: Each is over a “circuit”- geographical area
NC is in the 4th Circuit
Judges: 3 Judges review each case (majority rules)
President appoints, Senate approves
Term: LIFE (die in office or retire)
Can be removed by impeachment

9. Supreme Court
Supreme Court- reviews decisions made in district and appeals courts
Description
Does not decide guilt or innocence, only whether laws are constitutional
Does not hold trials, no witnesses, juries, etc.
Does not hear all cases- if they do not hear it the lower court decision is final
Final decision on any case

10. Supreme Court Docket- court calendar of all cases
2004- nearly 7,500 cases were appealed to the Supreme Court but it only heard 74 cases
Majority Opinion- written by the majority of Justices on the case (winning opinion)
Dissenting Opinion- written by Justices explaining why they oppose the majority opinion
Jurisdiction: Original and Appellate
Number: 1

11. Supreme Court Location: Washington DC Judges are known as “Justices”
9 Justices total
1 Chief Justice
8 Associate Justices
President appoints, Senate approves
Term: LIFE (die in office or retire)
Can be removed by impeachment

12. Current Supreme Court John Roberts (Chief Justice) Since 2005
George W. Bush
Elena Kagan
Since 2010
Barack Obama
Antonin Scalia
Since 1986
Ronald Reagan

13. Supreme Court Anthony Kennedy Since 1988 Ronald Reagan Clarence Thomas
George H.W. Bush
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Since 1993
Bill Clinton

14. Supreme Court Stephen Breyer Since 1994 Bill Clinton Samuel Alito
George W. Bush
Sonia Sotomayer
Since 2009
Barack Obama