Home / Tags / #Judicial Branch

#Judicial Branch

65 entries

Branches (22)
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
The agency that runs the business side of the federal judiciary, from its budget to its case-filing systems
Article I vs. Article III Courts
Why some federal judges serve for life and others for fixed terms, and which cases each kind may decide
Federal Judicial Center
The research and education agency of the federal courts
Federal Public Defenders
The system that provides lawyers to people charged with federal crimes who cannot afford one
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
The secret federal court that approves government surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes
Judicial Conference of the United States
The policymaking body of the federal courts, led by the Chief Justice
The Federal Judiciary
The third branch: one Supreme Court, thirteen circuits, ninety-four districts, and judges who serve for life
The Senate Judiciary Committee
The committee that vets every federal judge and Supreme Court nominee and oversees the Justice Department
The Supreme Court of the United States
The highest court in the country: nine justices, life tenure, and the last word on the Constitution
The Thirteen Federal Circuits
How the country is divided among the federal courts of appeals, and why the line on the map can decide a case
The U.S. Courts of Appeals
Thirteen circuit courts that decide tens of thousands of appeals a year and, for most cases, have the final word
The U.S. District Courts
The ninety-four trial courts where federal cases begin, juries sit, and most disputes end
U.S. Bankruptcy Courts
The specialized units of the district courts that handle every bankruptcy case in the country, from individual debtors to major corporations and cities
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
The civilian court at the top of the military justice system, reviewing courts-martial from every service
U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
The appeals court in Washington that reviews more federal agency actions than any other, often called the second most important court in the country
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
The thirteenth federal appeals court, defined by subject rather than geography, with nationwide jurisdiction over patents, trade, and claims against the government
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
The independent court that reviews decisions denying veterans' disability and other benefits
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
The court where people and companies sue the federal government for money, from contract disputes to takings and vaccine injuries
U.S. Court of International Trade
The national trial court in New York that hears disputes over tariffs, customs, and trade laws
U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services
The officers of the federal courts who investigate defendants, write sentencing reports, and supervise people released into the community
U.S. Sentencing Commission
The independent agency in the judicial branch that writes the federal sentencing guidelines
U.S. Tax Court
The court where taxpayers can challenge an IRS deficiency before paying the disputed tax
Departments (1)
U.S. Marshals Service
The nation's oldest federal law enforcement agency, which protects judges, hunts fugitives, and runs witness protection
Offices & Roles (10)
Bankruptcy Judges
The federal judges, appointed by the courts of appeals to 14-year terms, who decide bankruptcy cases for individuals and businesses as units of the district courts
Chief Justice of the United States
The head of the Supreme Court and of the federal judiciary, first among equals on the bench
Circuit Judges
The Article III judges of the 13 federal courts of appeals, appointed for life, who decide most federal appeals and often have the final word on federal law in their regions
Clerk of the Supreme Court
The officer appointed by the Justices who manages the Supreme Court's docket, receives every filing, and keeps the official records of the Court's cases
District Judges
The Article III trial judges of the 94 federal district courts, appointed for life, who preside over federal trials and issue most of the rulings that block or allow government actions
Federal Judges
The roughly 870 Article III judges on the district courts, courts of appeals, and Supreme Court, and how they are chosen and removed
Magistrate Judges
The federal judges appointed by district courts to renewable eight-year terms who handle warrants, initial appearances, pretrial matters, misdemeanors, and civil trials with the parties' consent
Marshal of the Supreme Court
The Court-appointed officer who opens each session, keeps time at oral argument, runs the Supreme Court building, and directs the Supreme Court Police that protect the Justices
Senior Status
The semi-retirement option that lets eligible federal judges step back from active service, open their seat for a new appointment, and keep hearing cases at full salary
Supreme Court Law Clerks
The recent law graduates hired by each Justice for one-year terms to review petitions, research cases, and help draft opinions
Processes (15)
Amicus Briefs
Friend-of-the-court briefs filed by people and groups who are not parties to a case, offering arguments, expertise, or perspectives to influence the court's decision
Blue Slips
The Senate Judiciary Committee tradition that lets home-state senators approve or block nominees for federal judgeships and U.S. attorney posts in their state
Certiorari
The process by which the Supreme Court decides which cases to hear, granting review of only about 1 percent of the thousands of petitions it receives each year
En Banc Review
Rehearing of a case by all the active judges of a federal court of appeals, rather than a three-judge panel, used rarely for especially important questions or to resolve conflicts
Federal Jurisdiction
The limits on which cases federal courts may hear, set by Article III and by Congress, including federal question and diversity cases, and Congress's power to expand or restrict them
How a Case Reaches the Supreme Court
From a lower-court loss to a petition for certiorari, the rule of four, oral argument, and a decision by the end of June
Impeachment of Judges
The constitutional process for removing federal judges, used 15 times in the House and eight times leading to removal, almost always for corruption or criminal conduct rather than rulings
Injunctions and Nationwide Injunctions
Court orders that block government or private action, including universal injunctions that halt a federal policy for everyone, which the Supreme Court curtailed in 2025
Judicial Nominations
How federal judges and Supreme Court justices are selected, vetted, and confirmed, and why the fights have intensified
Oral Argument and Opinions
How the Supreme Court hears cases in public argument, decides them in private conference, and explains its decisions in majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions
Standing
The constitutional requirement that a person suing in federal court show a concrete injury caused by the defendant that the court can remedy, a key limit on who may challenge government action
Standing and Jurisdiction
The threshold rules that decide whether a federal court can hear a case at all
The Rule of Four
The unwritten Supreme Court practice that a case will be heard if four of the nine Justices vote to grant review, letting a minority set part of the Court's agenda
The Shadow Docket
The Supreme Court's emergency docket of stays and injunctions decided quickly, often without full briefing, argument, or explanation, which has grown into a major arena for national policy
The Supreme Court Term
The Court's annual calendar, which begins on the first Monday in October and runs through late June or early July, with alternating sittings for argument and recesses for writing
Principles (10)
Court Packing
Changing the number of Supreme Court justices to alter its majority, most famously attempted by Franklin Roosevelt in 1937, and the wider debate over Supreme Court reform
Judicial Activism and Restraint
Competing descriptions of how readily judges should overturn the decisions of elected officials, and labels both political sides apply to rulings they oppose
Judicial Independence
How the Constitution protects judges from political pressure, and the recurring fights over that protection
Jurisdiction Stripping
Congress's use of its power over federal court jurisdiction to remove certain kinds of cases from the courts, and the constitutional limits on doing so
Justiciability
The set of doctrines, including standing, ripeness, mootness, and the bar on advisory opinions, that determine whether a federal court may decide a dispute at all
Life Tenure
Why federal judges serve for life, how tenures have lengthened, and proposals for term limits
Originalism and the Living Constitution
The two leading approaches to interpreting the Constitution: reading it by its meaning when adopted, or as a document whose application evolves with society
Precedent and Stare Decisis
How past decisions bind future ones, and when the Supreme Court decides to overrule itself
The Counter-Majoritarian Difficulty
Alexander Bickel's 1962 name for the tension between judicial review by unelected judges and democratic government, and the many attempts to resolve it
The Rule of Law
The principle that government acts only through law, that law binds those who govern, and that it applies equally to all
Documents & Cases (6)
Article III: The Judicial Branch
Three short sections that create the Supreme Court, protect judges, define federal jurisdiction, and define treason
Judiciary Act of 1789
The law that built the federal court system the Constitution only sketched
The Eleventh Amendment
The 1795 amendment limiting federal court lawsuits against states, the foundation of modern state sovereign immunity
The Seventh Amendment
The 1791 amendment preserving the right to a jury trial in federal civil cases and limiting judges' power to overturn jury findings
The Sixth Amendment
The 1791 amendment guaranteeing criminal defendants a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, the right to confront witnesses, and the assistance of counsel
Trump v. CASA (2025)
The case that sharply limited universal injunctions, holding that federal courts generally may grant relief only to the parties before them
States & Local (1)
State Court Systems
The fifty state judiciaries, which handle the vast majority of American court cases and choose judges by election, appointment, or merit selection
All Tags
Executive Branch 148 Legislative Branch 110 Separation of Powers 110 Economy 108 Cabinet Department 105 Constitution 94 Budget 80 Supreme Court 77 Elections 76 Federalism 75 States 70 Judicial Branch 65 National Security 62 Law Enforcement 59 Administrative State 58 Oversight 49 Military 45 Foreign Policy 40 Health 39 Environment 36 Independent Agency 35 Statute 31 Civil Service 30 Data & Statistics 29 Regulatory Commission 28 Former Agency 24 Emergency Management 24 Transportation 24 Intelligence 22 Education 22 Immigration 22 Taxation 21 Government Corporation 15 Territories 12 Veterans 9 Tribal 8