Common Law
law that was established by England; judges would make all decisions based off precedents
Precedent
previous ruling or court cases used to help make decisions in future cases.
Statutory Law
laws that are created by legislators (law-makers) and NOT judges
Plaintiff
the one who is wanting to go to court
Defendant
the one who is accused of the crime
Military Law
laws that are strictly for those in the military (soldier, armed forces, etc.)
Constitutional Law
deals with Constitution (rights, separation of powers, etc.)
Civil Law
deals with lawsuits like Judge Judy (suing, lawsuits, disputes)
Criminal Law
deals with people accused of a crime (murder, theft, etc.)
Misdemeanor
minor crimes that result in less than a year in jail and are under 15K
Felony
major crimes that result in a year or more in jail or sued over 15K
Verdict
where the jury decides innocent or guilty
US Court System
District Court, Circuit Court of Appeals, Supreme Court
FL Court System
County Court, Circuit Court, District Court of Appeals, Supreme Court.
Marbury v. Madison
Presidents arguing over giving someone their appointment to be judge / 1st time "judicial review" was used, which means that the courts look over a ruling or law to see if it is unconstitutional or in error
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
dealt with segregation on train cars; Plessy was 7/8 white; Supreme Court ruled that the doctrine of "separate but equal" was allowed.
Brown v. Board of Education
dealt with segregation in schools; baby doll psychological study; Supreme Court ruled that the previous decision of "separate but equal" was impossible to attain; integrated all schools.
In Re Gault
15-year old boy makes obscene phone call; argues his due process is violated; Supreme Court rules that due process should be extended to "juveniles" as well as adults.
Tinker v. Des Moines
students wanted to wear armbands to school to protest Vietnam War; Principal says no, but students do anyways; students are suspended; they say their 1st amendment right to speech was violated; Supreme Court ruled that student speech cannot be limited on
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
students wrote articles about teen pregnancy and divorce; Principal censored those articles because he said they were "obscene." Student said their 1st amendment right to speech was violated; Supreme Court disagreed - said schools can limit speech if it g
Miranda v. Arizona
Miranda gets arrested and signs a confession; goes to jail but says his 5th amendment right to remain silent and 6th amendment right to a lawyer were violated; Supreme Court agreed and said that all accused must be told rights aka "Miranda Rights.
Gideon v. Wainwright
Old guy steals and gets arrested; asks for a lawyer but is denied; is his own lawyer at trial and loses - goes to jail; while in jail argues his 6th amendment right to a lawyer was violated; Supreme Court agreed - cannot afford a lawyer, you get one.
U.S. v. Nixon
President tries to rig re-election; gets busted; says he doesn't have to turn over tapes/evidence due to "executive privilege; Supreme Court disagrees - even the President must follow the rule of law (no one is above the law)
Bush v. Gore
Close election; ballots are counted multiple times; 14th amendment "equal protection is argued"; Supreme Court stops all recounts which allows Bush to become President.
Citizen
one who is a legal member of a country
Law of Blood
grants citizenship through parents
Law of Soil
grants citizenship because you were born in America
Naturalization Steps
1. 18 years old
2. Live in US for at least 5 years
3. Read/Speak English
4. Good Character
5. Pass Civics Test/Interview
6. Take Oath of Allegiance
Rights
granted to everyone in US--citizen or not.
Repsponsibilites
activities that you should do
Obligations
activities that you MUST do
13th Amendment
abolished slavery
14th Amendment
1. defined citizenship
2. Due Process
3. Equal Protection under the law
15th Amendment
allowed all males the right to vote (Black and White)
19th Amendment
allowed women the right to vote (suffrage)
24th Amendment
banned all poll taxes
26th Amendment
Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
Two-Party System
the US has two major political parties - Democrat and Republican
Third Party
all other political parties that are not Democrat or Republican
Party Platform
a document that lists a set of beliefs for the political party
Democrat Party's views of taxes
Tax cuts for the poor
Democrat Party's views of Government Involvement
less federal govt. involvement. States get more power to solve issues
Democrat Party's views of Minimum Wage
Higher Minimum Wage
Democrats are also know as
Liberal
Republican Party's view on taxes
Tax cuts for all
Republican Party's view on Government Involvement
More Powerful Federal Govt -- less involvement
Republican Party's view on Minimum Wage
No Minimum Wage
Republicans are also known as
Conservative
Interest Groups
group of citizens that are interested in the same thing (NRA, SPCA, unions)
Lobbyists
the people who work for interest groups--they try to convince politicians to draft laws that would favor their interest group.
P.A.C.S
an organization created by an interest group o order to be able to raise money for candidates
Open Primary
Voters can vote for either party--regardless of how they are registered
Closed Primary
Voters can only vote within their registered party (FL is closed)
Caucus
a series of long speeches and vote by a show of hands--normally held in public places.
Nominee
candidate who wins the primary election for their party
National Convention
4-day celebration where the nominee is officially announced; used as a way to convince voters to vote
Popular Vote
whoever wins the most votes--wins the popular vote
Electoral College
This method determines who the next President is. Each state gets a certain number of 'electors' based off the state population. Whoever gets to 270 or more, becomes President
Testimonials
uses celebrities or trusted individuals to endorse a product or candidate
Bandwagon
Try to make it seem like "everyone is doing it so you should too.
Card-Stacking
Shows only good of one side and only the bad of the other side
Plain Folks
Try to make themselves look like everyday, ordinary people
Glittering Generalities
very vague, positive catch-phrases (Obama's Hope)
Transfer
Tries to make you feel a certain way about something with images
Name-calling
uses negative names to make a product or person look bad (Crooked Hillary)