Plaintiff

Judicial activism

: An effort buys judges to avoid overturning laws relatively often.

Prosecution

: a government body that brings a criminal charge against a defendant who is accused of breaking one of its laws.

Precedent

: a guideline for how all similar cases should be decided in the future.

Original Jurisdiction

The authority to hear a case first.

Defendant

The party who answers complaints and defends against the defendant.

Opinion

a written statement explaining the reasons for the decisions.

Judicial Restraint

an effort by judges to avoid overturning laws and to leave policy making up to the other branches of government.

Courts of appeals

handle appeals from the federal district courts

Plaintiff

individual or a group of people who bring a complaint against another party.

Appellate Jurisdiction

the authority to hear an appeal.

Circuit Courts

the courts of appeal are often called circuit court.

Judicial Review:

the power to overturn any law that the court decides is in conflict with the constitution.

Appeal

to ask a higher court to review the decision and determine justice was done.