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| literally, "friend of the court"; individuals or groups who are not parties to a lawsuit but who seek to assist the Supreme Court in reaching a decision by presenting additional briefs |
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| written documents in which attorneys explain, using case precedents, why the court should find in favor of their client |
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| justice on the Supreme Court who presides over the Court's public sessions and whose official title is chief justice of the United States |
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| the branch of law that deals with disputes that do not involve criminal penalties |
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| a court that hears the appeals of trial court decisions |
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| the branch of law that regulates the conduct of individuals, defines crimes, and specifies punishment for criminal acts |
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| the one against whom a complaint is brought in a criminal or civil case |
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| a decision written by a justice in the minority in a particular case in which the justice wishes to express his or her reasoning in the case |
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| the right of every citizen against arbitrary action by national or state governments |
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| judicial philosophy that posits that the Court should go beyond the words of the Constitution or a statute to consider the broader societal implications of its decisions |
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| judicial philosophy whose adherents refuse to go beyond the clear words of the Constitution in interpreting the document's meaning |
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| the power of the courts to review and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional; the Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison |
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| the sphere of a court's power and authority |
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| the written explanation of the Supreme Court's decision in a particular case |
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| the stage in Supreme Court procedure in which attorneys for both sides appear before the Court to present their positions and answer questions posed by justices |
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| the authority to initially consider a case; distinguished from appellate jurisdiction, which is the authority to hear appeals from a lower court's decision |
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| the individual or organization that brings a complaint in court |
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| a negotiated agreement in a criminal case in a which a defendant agrees to plead guilty in return for the state's agreement to reduce the severity of the criminal charge the defendant is facing |
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| prior case whose principles are used by judges as the basis for their decisions in present cases |
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| the practice whereby the president, before formally nominating a person for a federal judgeship, seeks the indication that senators from the candidate's own state support the nomination |
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| the top government lawyer in all cases before the Supreme Court in which the government is a party |
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| literally, "let the decision stand." The doctrine that a previous decision by a court applies as a precedent in similar cases until that decision is overruled |
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| Article VI of the Constitution, which states that laws passed by the national government and all treaties "shall be the supreme Law of the Land" and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision |
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| the highest court in a particular state or in the United States. This court primarily serves an appellate function |
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| the first court to hear a criminal or civil case |
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| a decision of at least four of the nine Supreme Court justices to review a decision of a lower court; certiorari is Latin, meaning "to make more certain" |
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| a court order that the individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention. Habeas corpus is guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion |
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