1.
administrative case: usually, a case in which a government agency applies rules to settle a legal dispute
2.
bench trial: trial by a single judge, without a jury
3.
civil case: a case that concerns a dispute involving individuals or organizations
4.
common law: unwritten law based on tradition, custom, or court decisions
5.
criminal case: a case brought by the state against persons accused of violating a law
6.
intermediate appellate court: a state court that relieves the case burden on the supreme court by hearing certain types of appeals
7.
judicial activism: the making of public policy by judges through decisions that overturn existing law or effectively make new laws
8.
judicial federalism: a trend in which state constitutional and statutory laws are consulted and applied before federal law
9.
limited jurisdiction trial courts: those courts with original jurisdiction over specialized cases such as juvenile offenses or traffic violations
10.
major trial court: court of general jurisdiction that handles major criminal cases
11.
plea bargaining: negotiation between a prosecutor and a criminal defendants counsel that results in the defendant pleading guilty to a lesser charge or pleading guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence
12.
precedent: the legal principle that previous similar court decisions should be applied to future decisions
13.
state decisis: a legal doctrine that precedent set in earlier cases should guide judges decisions
14.
Supreme Court: the highest state court, beyond which there is no appeal except in cases involving federal law
15.
trial by jury: a trial in which a jury decides the facts and makes a finding of guilty or not guilty