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