Basic Concepts 1-5
Common law
Court decisions establishing legal principles
Human Rights
Entitlements because a person is alive
Statues
Laws made by legislatures
Errors of law
Mistakes about applicable law
Jurisprudense
Study of law and legal philosophy
Lobbyimg
Actions to influence legislators
initiatives and referendums
Authority of citizens to legislate and repeal statutes
Trial courts
Courts that hear testimony, consider evidence, and decide the facts in disputed situations
Appeals court
Courts that review decisions of lower courts
Felonies
Crimes for which penalty is more than one year of prison
Misdemeanors
Crimes for which penalty is one year or less
Seperations of powers
Division of lawmaking power among three branches
Parties
Persons involved in a lawsuit
judicial review
Power of courts to declare statutes void
Precedents
Prior case rulings that guide decisions in other cases
Supremacy clause
Provision that requires that the U.S. Constitution and federal laws are a higher authority than state laws.
legislative intent
The purpose for which a statute was enacted
Checks and balances
The system by which each branch has the power to restrain another branch of government