Judicial Branch Chapter 8 Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4

Judicial Branch Article III of Constitution Interprets Laws Start at the bottom and work your way up through appeals Appeal- request to rehear or retry a case

District Courts District Courts- Where trials begin Description Decide guilt or innocence Only courts where witnesses testify, juries hear cases, reach verdicts Original Jurisdiction: hear cases for the first time Number: 94 Total Courts

District Court Location: Each state has at least one NC has 3 (Western, Central, and Eastern) Judges: 1 Judge reviews each case President appoints, Senate approves Term: LIFE (die in office or retire) Can be removed by impeachment

Appeals Courts Appeals Courts- review decisions made in district court Description Does not decide guilt or innocence, only if there was a fair trial Does not hold trials, no witnesses, juries, etc. Does not hear all cases- if they do not hear it the lower court decision is final

Appeals Courts Possible rulings: 1. Uphold/Keep the original decision 2. Reverse the original decision 3. Remand the case- sending it back to the lower courts to be tried again (redo) Appellate Jurisdiction: Authority to hear a case appealed from a lower court Number: 12

Appeals Courts Location: Each is over a “circuit”- geographical area NC is in the 4th Circuit Judges: 3 Judges review each case (majority rules) President appoints, Senate approves Term: LIFE (die in office or retire) Can be removed by impeachment

Supreme Court Supreme Court- reviews decisions made in district and appeals courts Description Does not decide guilt or innocence, only whether laws are constitutional Does not hold trials, no witnesses, juries, etc. Does not hear all cases- if they do not hear it the lower court decision is final Final decision on any case

Supreme Court Docket- court calendar of all cases 2004- nearly 7,500 cases were appealed to the Supreme Court but it only heard 74 cases Majority Opinion- written by the majority of Justices on the case (winning opinion) Dissenting Opinion- written by Justices explaining why they oppose the majority opinion Jurisdiction: Original and Appellate Number: 1

Supreme Court Location: Washington DC Judges are known as “Justices” 9 Justices total 1 Chief Justice 8 Associate Justices President appoints, Senate approves Term: LIFE (die in office or retire) Can be removed by impeachment

Current Supreme Court John Roberts (Chief Justice) Since 2005 George W. Bush Elena Kagan Since 2010 Barack Obama Antonin Scalia Since 1986 Ronald Reagan

Supreme Court Anthony Kennedy Since 1988 Ronald Reagan Clarence Thomas George H.W. Bush Ruth Bader Ginsburg Since 1993 Bill Clinton

Supreme Court Stephen Breyer Since 1994 Bill Clinton Samuel Alito George W. Bush Sonia Sotomayer Since 2009 Barack Obama