The Federal Courts

1. Cases and the Law

A.  Criminal Law

1.  Protection of the health and safety

of the community

2.  Protection of morals of the community

B.  Civil Law

1.  Contract cases

2.  Tort cases

C.  Public Law

1.  Constitutional law

2.  Administrative law

II.  Types of Courts

                 A.  Courts

                             1.  Trial Court

                             2.  State Appellate Court

                             3.  State Supreme Court   

                 B.  Federal Courts

     1.  Federal District

                       2.  U.S. Court of Appeals

                             3.  U.S. Supreme Court

III.  Federal Jurisdiction

     A.  District Courts have original jurisdiction.

                 B.  U.S. Court of Appeals has appellate jurisdiction.

                 C.  The Supreme Court

1. Original jurisdiction

2.  Appellate jurisdiction

3. Writ of certiorari

4.  Writ of habeas  corpus

            *The Supreme Court has rules of access that determine what they will

            and will not hear.

IV.  The Supreme Court

             A.  Origin

 1.  Article III-not specific

                         2.  Appointed by the President with the approval of the

                              Senate.

             B.  Power of the Court

                        1.  Judicial Review

                        2.  Interpret laws & treaties

                        3.  Review acts of President

                        4.  Review administrative agency cases

                        5.  Justices

a.  Nine Justices

                                    b.  Eight Associate Justices - $194,200

                                    c.  Chief Justice- $202,900

-presides

-speaks first

-votes to break ties

-chooses opinion writers

C.  Qualifications

-None

-The President looks for:

-party membership

-service in Justice Dept

-balance

-Senatorial courtesy

-About ½ have judicial experience

-Only lawyers chosen

-Appointment for life

D.  Court in Action

-Opens at 10:00

-Hears case Mon-Fri

-Friday is conference day

E.  Famous Justices

1.  John Marshall

                              -Marbury v. Madison

-McCulloch v. Maryland

2.  Roger Taney

-Dred Scott

-Ex parte Milligan

-U.S. v. Cinque

3.  John Marshall Harlan

-Plessy v. Ferguson

4.Earl Warren

-Brown v. Board of Topeka, Kansas

-Gideon v. Wainwright

   -Miranda v. Arizona

  5.Warren Burger

-Roe v. Wade

-Furman v. Georgia

-N.Y. Times  v. U.S.

(Pentagon Papers)

Today’s Supreme Court

Birth Date   Pres.

Chief Justice

  John Roberts-                                    (1955)              G.W. Bush

Justices

John Paul Stevens-                              (1920)              Ford    

Sandra Day O’Connor-                       (1930)             Reagan

Antonin Scalia                                    (1936)              Reagan

Anthony Kennedy                              (1936)              Reagan

David Souter                                       (1939)              Bush

Clarence Thomas                                 (1948)              Bush

Ruth Bader Ginsberg                          (1933)              Clinton

Stephen Breyer                                   (1938)              Clinton

What is Justice?

      “The aim of justice is to give everyone his due.”  Cicero, 50 B.C.

      “Justice is what is established.”      Pascal, 1670

      “One man’s justice is another man’s injustice.”    Ralph Waldo Emerson

      “Justice is blind.  Blind an’ deef an dumb an’ has a wooden leg.”

                         Finley Peter Dunne, 1901

      “Justice is a system of revenge where in the State imitates the criminal.”

                         Elbert Hubbard, 1910

     “There is no such thing as justice- in or out of court.”

                         Clarence Darrow, 1936