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| The power to declare government acts invalid because they violate the Constitution. |
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| A court case involving a crime, or violation of public order. |
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| A court case that involves a private dispute arising from such matters as accidents, contractual obligations, and divorce. |
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| Legal precedents derived from previous judicial decisions. |
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| A court within the lowest tier of the three-tiered federal court system; a court where litigation begins. |
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| A court within the second tier of the three-tiered federal court system, to which decisions of the district courts and federal agencies may be appealed for review. |
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| A judicial ruling that serves as the basis for the ruling in a subsequent case. |
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| Literally, let the decision stand; decision making according to precedent. |
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| The authority of a court to hear a case before any other court does. |
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| The authority of a court to hear cases that have been tried, decided, or reexamined in other courts. |
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| An issue covered by the Constitution, national laws, or U.S. treaties. |
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| An unwritten rule that requires at least four justices to agree that a case warrants consideration before it is reviewed by the Supreme Court. |
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| The third highest-ranking official of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the one who represents the national government before the Supreme Court. |
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| A brief filed (with the permission of the court) by an individual or group that is not a party to a legal action but has an interest in it. |
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| A judicial philosophy whereby judges adhere closely to statutes and precedents in reaching their decision. |
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| A judicial philosophy whereby judges interpret existing laws and precedents loosely and interject their own vaitslues in court decisions. |
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| The judicial decision in a court case. |
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| The heart of a judicial opinion; its logical content separated from facts, rhetoric, and procedure. |
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| The agreement of a judge with the court's majority decision, for a reason other than the majority reason. |
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| The disagreement of a judge with a majority decision. |
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| A practice whereby the Senate will not confirm for a lower federal court judgeship a nominee who is opposed by the senior senator in the president's party in the nominees state. |
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| A defendant's admission of guilt in exchange for a less severe punishment. |
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| A procedure by which similarly situated litigants may be heard for a single lawsuit. |
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