What are the functions of federal judiciary?
Judicial review, interpreting statutes and regulations
What documents can the federal courts interpret?
Statues, regulations, executive orders, foreign treaties to
What court case established the precedent for judicial review
Marbury v Madison
When was the Supreme Court most active in declaring federal statues or provisions unconstitutional and invalidating state and local laws?
1960 to now.
What is the role of the court in the policy-making process?
Address only policy questions in context to the dispute, observe rules and do thrones that limit how they decide legal disputes, have limited involvement in areas of public policy
Jurisdiction
The authority of a court to hear a case
What does a court need to have jurisdiction?
Subject matter and parties of a case
Doctrine of Stare Decisis
Courts should follow the precedent established by other and higher courts
Article III of the constitution gave congress
The power to create and control (to an extent) the court system
When and how was the federal court system created?
When the first congress convened in 1798
How many justices are on the Supreme Court?
9
What courts are the major trial courts?
District courts
How many judges can hear and decide a case in district court?
1 or 3
How many federal judicial districts?
94
The federal judicial districts are organized into
12 regional circuits (each has a court of appeals)
Where does a court of appeals get the appeals?
From the federal districts within the circuit
Whose role in the judicial selection process has been increasing lately?
The justice department and ideological legal organizations
How can a federal judge or Supreme Court justice be removed?
Through impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate
Why was the case of Samuel Chase important?
His acquittal in an impeachment trial strengthened the independence of the judiciary