American Government
Chapter 18 The Federal Court System – 40 points
Name__________________
SECTION 1: THE NATIONAL JUDICIARY – p. 506 - 511
1. What did Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution create?
2. What does it mean the United States has a dual court system?
3. Which courts hear the majority of cases in the United States?
4. What are constitutional courts?
5. What are special courts?
6. Under what circumstances may federal courts hear a case?
7. What is the procedure for selecting a federal judge?
8. What is the primary function of federal judges?
9. How long are the terms of judges of constitutional courts?
10. How long are long are the terms of judges in special courts?
KEY TERMS
______ 1. Cases heard in federal courts
a. plaintiff
______ 2. Cases heard in either state or federal courts
b. exclusive jurisdiction
______ 3. Court where case is heard first
.
______ 4. Court that hears a case on appeal from a lower court
c. original jurisdiction
______ 5. Party that files a lawsuit
e. defendant
______ 6. Party that must defend against a complain in a law suit
f. concurrent jurisdiction
d. appellate jurisdiction
SECTION 2: THE INFERIOR COURTS – p. 512 - 515
Number of
Courts
Number of
Judges
District Court
93
632
Court of Appeals
12
179
Supreme Court
1
9
Court of
International
Trade
1
9
Court of Appeals
for the Federal
Circuit
1
12
Court
1. Which courts handle most federal cases?
2. When and why was the court of appeals created?
3. What does the term jurisdiction mean?
4. What are criminal cases?
5. What are civil cases?
Types of Cases
SECTION 3: THE SUPREME COURT – p. 517 - 522
1. Who do the members of the Supreme Court consist of?
2. What does the term “judicial review” mean and which court case first used this power?
3. In the United States, the court of last resort of questions of federal law is known as what?
4. The Supreme Court has what types of jurisdiction?
5. How many Court justices must agree to place a case on the court docket before it is heard?
6. What are the steps taken in a Supreme Court case after the Court has decided to hear the case?
KEY TERMS
a. writ of certiorari
b. certificate
c. dissenting opinion
d. concurring opinion
e. majority opinion
____ 1. A justice who agrees with the Opinion of the Court may nonetheless decide to write a ___.
_____ 2. If the Chief Justice agrees with the Opinion of the Court, he/she decides who will write the ___.
_____ 3. When the Supreme Court accepts a case for review, it issues a ___.
_____ 4. Justices who disagree with an Opinion of the Court may register their views by writing a ___.
_____ 5. If an inferior court wants guidance from the Supreme court on a particular question of law, it
may issue a ___.
SECTION 4: THE SPECIAL COURTS – p. 524 - 526
Court
Number of
Judges
Term of
Judges
U.S. Court of Federal
Claims
16
15 yrs
Court of Appeals for
the Armed Forces
5
15 yrs
Court of Appeals for
Veterans Claims
7
15 yrs
U.S. Tax Court
19
12 yrs
Territorial Courts
KEY TERMS
Redress
Court-martial
Civilian tribunal
Types of Cases