Legislative Branch - Answers Makes laws; consists of Congress (House and Senate).
Executive Branch - Answers Enforces laws; consists of the President, Vice President, and Cabinet.
Judicial Branch - Answers Interprets laws; consists of the Supreme Court and federal courts.
Law - Answers Rules established by the government and backed by enforcement.
Rule of Law - Answers Principle that laws apply equally to all and violators are held accountable;
supports business and investment.
Property Law - Answers Legal right to exclude others from one's resources.
Public Property - Answers Property owned by the government.
Private Property - Answers Property owned by individuals or companies.
Common Law System - Answers Legal system based on judicial decisions and precedent (used in the
US).
Civil Law System - Answers Legal system based on written statutes and codes (used in France,
Germany).
Loving v. Virginia (1967) - Answers Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage using the
Equal Protection Clause.
Public Law - Answers Regulates society; includes constitutional, criminal, and administrative law.
Private Law - Answers Regulates private resources; includes property, contracts, and torts.
Tort - Answers A civil (non-criminal) wrong that causes harm or loss.
Civil Law - Answers Disputes between private parties involving contracts or torts.
Criminal Law - Answers Government prosecution of crimes.
Plaintiff - Answers Party who brings a civil lawsuit.
Defendant - Answers Party being sued or accused.
Sources of Law (US) - Answers Constitution, statutes, judicial decisions.
Legally Void Law - Answers A law that conflicts with a higher law and is therefore invalid.
Precedent - Answers Using past court decisions as models for new cases.
Stare Decisis - Answers Principle that courts should follow precedent.
Complaint - Answers Formal document that starts a civil lawsuit.
Indictment - Answers Formal criminal charge issued by a grand jury.
Remedy - Answers Legal means to recover resources or compensation.
Compensatory Damages - Answers Money awarded to compensate for harm.
Punitive Damages - Answers Money awarded to punish wrongdoing.
Specific Performance - Answers Court order forcing a party to fulfill a contract.
Judge - Answers Official who presides over trial courts.
Justice - Answers Official who serves on appellate courts.
Grand Jury - Answers Jury (16-23 people) that issues indictments.
Petit Jury - Answers Jury (6-12 people) that decides trial outcomes.
Bench Trial - Answers Trial without a jury; judge decides.
Attorney-Client Privilege - Answers Lawyer's duty to keep client communications confidential.
Disbarment - Answers Removal of a lawyer's license to practice law.
Pro Se - Answers Representing yourself in court.
Jurisdiction - Answers Court's power over a case.
Subject Matter Jurisdiction - Answers Authority over the type of case.
Personal Jurisdiction - Answers Authority over the parties involved.
Diversity Jurisdiction - Answers Federal jurisdiction when parties are from different states and claims
exceed $75,000.
Removal - Answers Moving a case from state court to federal court.
Writ of Certiorari - Answers Petition asking the Supreme Court to hear a case.
Litigation - Answers Legal process of resolving disputes through courts.
Standing to Sue - Answers Legal requirement showing injury, causation, and redressability.
Class Action - Answers Lawsuit where many plaintiffs sue together.
First Amendment - Answers Protects freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
Defamation - Answers False statement harming reputation; slander is spoken, libel is written.
Obscenity - Answers Unprotected expression that violates community standards, appeals to sex, and
lacks merit.
Due Process - Answers Protection from arbitrary loss of life, liberty, or property.