parties to a crime and court systems
Accomplice Liability - Purpose and Knowledge
-The act of aiding and abetting must be accompanied with intent or mental state of mind. -Purpose, which is the mental state of intent, makes one liable as an accomplice.
The federal courts have jurisdiction over
1. Actions, in which the United States is a party, except those actions between a state and its own citizen 2. Cases that raise a federal question such as the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution or the validation or interpretations of laws 3. Diversity of citizenship cases, actions between citizens of different states where the amount of money involved exceeds $50k 4. Admiralty cases (pertaining to the sea), patent right, copyright, and bankruptcy cases
What are other ways people can act as an accomplice?
1. encouraging 2. soliciting 3. advising 4. being a lookout 5. driving the getaway car 6. providing a weapon You don't have to be present when the crime is committed to be charged as an accomplice.
How many district courts are there to date?
95
How many courts are there per state?
At least one, some states have more
The Two Court Systems in the US
Federal and State Courts
Example of physical assistance
Physical assistance includes casing the scene of the crime, etc.
Example of psychological assistance
Psychological assistance includes feeding someone to give them strength to commit a crime or giving encouragement.
U.S. Supreme Court
highest court in the land.
Aid and abet
accomplices are said to aid and abet another criminal.
General Trial courts
They are the general trial courts for major civil and criminal cases in each state.
Level 2 (middle level) of Federal Court
U.S. Court of Appeals or Federal Appellate court
Level 3 (highest level) of Federal Court
U.S. Supreme Court
The __ _______ _____ is the next stop if you lose in the state supreme court. BUT, that is only if the _____ ____ ______ chooses to hear your case.
U.S. Supreme court, U.S. Supreme court
Level 1 (lowest level) of Federal Court
US District Courts
The US Supreme court Court must hear all cases that involve the ________________ __ __ ______ ____.
constitutionality of a federal law
Acts of Omission
failure to act to prevent someone from committing a crime is known as omission.
The US Supreme Court, itself, then decides, by a vote of at least ____ out of _____ justices, which additional cases to hear from the U.S. court of appeals or the state supreme courts.
four, nine
How is the US divided into judicial circuits?
geographically into 13 circuits. Each circuit has several district courts and one court of appeals.
District Courts
have original jurisdiction over most federal cases. they are the trial courts of the federal government. Civil and criminal cases, either with or without juries, are heard in the U.S. district courts.
Court of Appeals
have the authority to hear appeals and review cases from lower courts. No witnesses are heard, no evidence is presented, and there are no juries.
Appellate Court systems in states
hears appeals from lower courts. Appeals may be taken to a state intermediate court by the parties if they believe they did not have a fair trial in the lower court. tate appellate courts only hear questions of law, not question of fact.
Only questions of ___ can be raised on appeal, not questions of ____. For this reason not all cases can be appealed.
law, fact
Local Trial Courts
limited jurisdiction which means they have jurisdiction in small matters such as misdemeanors and civil actions involving small amounts of money.
List all State Courts
local trial courts, General trial courts, Appellate courts, State Supreme Courts.
accessory
one who aids in the crime; doesn't have to be present when crime is committed.
Accessory after the fact
one who aids some know felon to avoid prosecution.
Principal in the Second Degree
one who intentionally assist while being there
Accessory before the fact
one who intentionally counsels, solicits, or commands another in the crime.
principal
one who is present at participates OR who gets someone to commit the crime.
The US Supreme court has both _______ and _______ jurisdiction.
original, appellate
Affirmative Acts- include ______ ________ or ____________ _________
physical assistance, psychological influence
Accomplice
someone who knowingly and willingly associates with others in the commission of a criminal offense, and who intentionally assist another in the commission of a crime.
State Supreme Court
the court that makes final decisions on the state level. In many cases the state Supreme Court chooses the cases they wish to hear like the U.S Supreme court.
Jurisdiction
the power and authority given to a court to hear a case and make a judgment
Most U.S. court of appeals cases are decided by a panel of ____ judges.
three
Principal in the first degree
usually the primary criminal
