| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Jurisdiction | the authority of a court to hear a particular case |
| original jurisdiction | authority of a court to be the first court to hear a particular case |
| appellate jurisdiction | the authority of a court to review the decision of a "lower court" on a particular case |
| concurrent jurisdiction | a situation in which both a state court and a federal court can hear a particular case |
| federal question jurisdiction | the authority of a federal court to hear a case involving an issue of federal law, or involving the united states government as a part of litigant |
| diversity jurisdiction | the authority of a court to hear a case involving people who live in different states when the amount in dispute is more than 75000 |
| plaintiff | the person who files a lawsuit |
| defendant | the person who is sued |
| writ of certiorari | the main procedure used to bring a case to the supreme court; the supreme court has discretion to decide which cases come before it by this route |
| opinion | a written statement of a court's reasons for deciding a case in a particular way |
| per curiam opinion | a short unsigned statement of a supreme court decision |
| unanimous opinion | in a court with multiple judges, a written statement of the reasons of the court for deciding a case in a particular way with which all the judges agree |
| majority opinion | in a court with multiple judges, a written statement of the reasons of the court for deciding a case in a particular way with which most of the judges agree |
| concurring opinion | in a court with multiple judges, the written statement of a judge who agrees with the decision made about a case by the majority of the judges, but hwo has different reasons than they do for reaching that descision |
| dissenting opinion | in a court with multiple judges, the written statement of a judge who disagrees with the decision made about a case by the majority of judges with an explanation |
| brief | a written statement, filed by a court litigant, setting forth the facts and law relevant to his or her case and explaining why he or she ought to win the case |
| amicus curiae brief | written statement filed by someone who is not a litigant setting forth the facts and law relevant to a particular case and explaining why one side or the other ought to win the case |
Combine with other sets
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