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Chapter 7 The Judicial Branch

The chapter discusses the structure and powers of the U.S. judicial branch. It describes three levels of federal courts, with the Supreme Court at the top. The Supreme Court has 9 justices who are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate. It hears appeals from lower courts and disputes between states. Below the Supreme Court are the Courts of Appeals and District Courts, which handle trials. The judicial branch has the power of judicial review to determine if laws are constitutional.

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Riya Indukuri
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204 views10 pages

Chapter 7 The Judicial Branch

The chapter discusses the structure and powers of the U.S. judicial branch. It describes three levels of federal courts, with the Supreme Court at the top. The Supreme Court has 9 justices who are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate. It hears appeals from lower courts and disputes between states. Below the Supreme Court are the Courts of Appeals and District Courts, which handle trials. The judicial branch has the power of judicial review to determine if laws are constitutional.

Uploaded by

Riya Indukuri
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 7

The Judicial Branch


Judicial Power
 Judges must remain independent of a political party.

 Judges must also determine which acts are not


© Shutterstock.com

constitutional.
Power of judicial review-To view the laws of the land and
determine their constitutionality

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Structure of the Courts
Three Levels of Federal Court
Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and the District courts.
The Supreme Court is the highest court.

 Only hears a few cases each year.


 Cases are on appeal from a lower court.
 If states are in disagreements the Supreme Court will hear the case
for the first time.

3
Supreme Court
 Appointed by the president and approved by the Senate
 Lifetime terms
 Session is from October to June
 Current Justices
1. Chief Justice- John Roberts
2. Anthony Kennedy
3. Clarence Thomas
4. Samuel Alito
5. Neil Gorsuch
6. Ruth Ginsberg
7. Stephen Breyer
8. Sonia Sotomayor
9. Elena Kagan
Source: www.supremecourt.gov

4
Court of Appeals
Another name Circuit Courts
Twelve courts
Appellate court
No new evidence can be submitted
Judges are appointed for life by the president
and confirmed by the Senate

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District Courts
• Trial Courts
• Criminal & Civil cases
• Hears cases for the first time
• Every state has one court – large states more
Texas has four
• Judges are appointed for life by the president &
confirmed by the Senate
• Grand juries determine if the case will be brought to trial

6
Supreme Court Justice
Selection Criteria
Law Degree
Often from prestigious law schools.
Judicial Experience
Usually at the federal level
Age
50 - Average
Race and Gender Source: www.supremecourt.gov Source: www.nps.gov

First female = Sandra Day O’Connor in 1981


First African American = Thurgood Marshall in 1971
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Supreme Court Process
Select a case to review
1.Filing Briefs
• Both sides submit briefs that outline facts and arguments
2.Oral Argument
• Each side has 30 minutes to speak
• Justices can interrupt at any time to ask questions Source: www.supremecourt.gov

• Costs up to $500,000 to bring a case to the Supreme Court


3.Conference
• Cases are discussed Wednesday/Friday and a preliminary vote is taken
4.Assignment of Opinions
• Determine who will write the majority opinion for the case
• Chief justice assigns
• Dissenting opinion written by opposition

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“New Term Starts at United States Supreme Court.” United States Courts, Administrarive Office of the United States Courts, 1 Oct. 2012, www.uscourts.gov/news/2012/10/01/new-term-starts-united-states-supreme-court.
Supreme Court Checks
and Balances
Internal Checks
Supreme Court relies on the executive branch to enforce
the decisions
Presidential Influence
President influences the balance of power
Congressional Checks © Shutterstock.com

Congress cannot reverse a decision but congress can….


Pass a similar bill or impeach judges

9
• All pictures have been cited at the bottom of the slide that the picture is located. The citations do NOT have any ties to the information
provided by Glynn E. Newman. All Information textually formatted on this PowerPoint is the original ideas and facts known by Glynn
Newman.

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