10 Terms
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American government
This category is for all terms related to American government and politics.
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American government
opinion below
Government; American government
The opinion issued by the court that heard the case immediately before the losing party asked the Supreme Court to review the case (almost always a federal court of appeals or a state court of last ...
habeas petition
Government; American government
A habeas petition is a request for a court to review the legality of someone’s detention or imprisonment. All federal courts – not just the Supreme Court – can hear habeas petitions, though federal ...
cert. grant
Government; American government
The Supreme Court grants certiorari when it decides, at the request of the party that has filed a petition for certiorari, to review the merits of the case. For roughly every 100 petitions for ...
circuit
Government; American government
The United States is divided into thirteen circuits with a different court of appeals (see a map here). Eleven of the circuits are numbered first to eleventh. The District of Columbia has its own ...
respondent
Government; American government
The respondent is the party that won in the lower court. His name goes second in the case name. (For example, Al Gore was the respondent in Bush v. Gore. )
amicus curiae brief
Government; American government
“Friend of the court” brief; a brief filed by a person, group, or entity that is not a party to the case but nonetheless wishes to provide the court with its perspective on the issue before it. The ...
habeas corpus petition
Government; American government
A habeas petition is a request for a court to review the legality of someone’s detention or imprisonment. All federal courts – not just the Supreme Court – can hear habeas petitions, though federal ...
