Chapter 18 Vocabulary

Chapter 18 Vocabulary 1. inferior courts-the lower federal courts 2. jurisdiction-the authority of a court to hear a case 3. exclusive jurisdiction-those cases can be heard only in the federal courts 4. concurrent jurisdiction-share the power to hear those cases 5. plaintiff-the person who files suit 6. defendant-the person whom the complaint is against 7. original jurisdiction-the court where a case is first heard 8. appellate jurisdiction-a case on appeal from a lower court 9. criminal case-a case in which a defendant is tried for committing a crime 10. civil case-a case of non criminal matter like a dispute over the terms of a contract 11. docket-list of cases to be heard 12. writ of certiorari-an order by the court directing a lower court to send up the record in a given case for its review 13. certificate-a mehod of putting a case befor the Supreme Court 14. majority opinion-the Court’s opinion 15. precedent-examples to be followed in similar cases as they arise in the lower courts 16. concurring opinion-to add or emphasize a point that was not made in the majority opinion 17. dissenting opinion-written by those justices who do not agree with the Court’s majority decision 18. redress-satisfaction of a claim 19. civilian tribunal-a court operating as part of the judicial branch 20. court-martial-serve the special disciplinary needs of the armed forces