Congressional Quarterly's Desk Reference on American Courts

by Barnes, Patricia G.

• ISBN13: 9781568024356
• ISBN10: 1568024355
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

From learning the basic definition of a law to understanding how a case reaches the Supreme Court, this essential reference tool provides over 500 questions and accessible answers on the complex subject of the U.S. court system.''''Whether used by a citizen inquiring about jury duty or a student needing to grasp the intricacies of types of laws, CQ's Desk Reference on American Courts provides the answers on such topics as:'' ''Explanations of the judicial process and procedures.''''State and federal court institutions.''''Definitions, concepts, and terms.''''Discussions of important cases and interesting firsts.''''

Author Biography

Patricia G. Barnes received her J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Introduction to the American Court System	p. 1
The Law	p. 3
In General	p. 3
Types of Laws	p. 5
Immunities	p. 8
Milestones	p. 9
The U.S. Constitution	p. 15
In General	p. 15
Individual Rights and Federal Powers	p. 20
The Federal Court System	p. 28
In General	p. 28
The Supreme Court of the United States	p. 42
U.S. Courts of Appeals: Intermediate Appellate Courts	p. 82
District Courts: Federal Trial Courts	p. 97
Courts of Special Jurisdiction	p. 114
State Constitutions	p. 124
In General	p. 124
History and Notable Constitutions	p. 125
The State Court System	p. 137
In General	p. 137
State Appellate Courts	p. 153
State Courts of General Jurisdiction	p. 173
State Courts of Special Jurisdiction	p. 226
State Courts of Limited Jurisdiction	p. 233
Reference Materials	p. 241
Constitution of the United States	p. 242
Judiciary Act of 1789	p. 258
Online Sources of Decisions	p. 274
How to Read a Court Citation	p. 277
Glossary of Common Legal Terms	p. 278
Bibliography	p. 283
Index	p. 285
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