Chapter Ten:

The Judiciary (pg 277-311)

The Common Law System

The British Legal System

            “judge” made law

            “Stare daisies”

            Criminal Law and Civil Law

Judicial review

            The courts in Article III

            The early circuit courts 

Marbury vs. Madison

            Debates over state and U.S. Constitutions

Marshal Court

            Abolished decisions “in series”

            Supremacy of Supreme court over state courts

            Supremacy of Supreme court over congress – Judicial Review

The structure of the courts

            Jurisdiction:  State and local vs. Federal courts

            Trial Court

            Appellate (appeals) court

            Supreme Court

Selecting Judges

            President Nominates;  Senate Approves

            Appellate court nominations

            Supreme court nominations

Qualifications

            Competence

            Ideology

            Reward/payback

            Ethnic/gender issues

Process

            Names given, and investigated

            Nominated

            New Investigations and Lobbying

            Hearings

            Vote

Hearing a case

            Taking a case (rule of four)

            Briefs and amicus briefs

            Oral Arguments

Deciding a case

            The conference

            Who writes the opinion

            The opinion

            Dissenting and concurrent opinions

How do they decide?

            Discussion…..

Legal Issues

            Stare Decises

            Civil law:  Property, torts, Contracts