Court Is in Session

Regular citizens have a crucial role in the justice system. Serving on a jury is a civic responsibility and jurors make some of the most important decisions in the legal process. Members of grand juries decide if there is 'probable cause' for cases to go to trial. Members of trial juries decide the verdicts in criminal and civil cases. This book explores the principles of the jury system and historic changes in an interesting and accessible way. Readers will learn about the right to an impartial jury, the deliberation process, groundbreaking cases, and much more.

The American federal court system was created under Article III of the United States Constitution. The federal court system is comprised of 94 District Courts, 13 Courts of Appeals, the Court of Claims, the Court of International Trade, and the Supreme Court. Federal courts differ from state courts in the types of cases they hear and how judges are selected. Readers will learn about the key differences between each type of federal court and the route court cases take in the federal system.

The United States military court system has been praised by Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger as 'the most enlightened military code in history.' Predating the Constitution, the military court system deals with disciplining and punishing members of the military. Inquisitive readers will enjoy learning about the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the three types of courts martial. Dramatic summaries of historic courts martial, including those of Benedict Arnold and Billy Mitchell, demonstrate how military justice is carried out.

Each state and federal territory has its own system of courts. How do these differ from federal courts? How do state court systems differ from each other? What types of cases do they hear? Where are these courts typically located? This book answers these questions through accessible, interesting text combined textually relevant photographs. Students will read about historic state court cases. A question and answer section with a practicing Virginia state attorney gives students a close-up view of court proceedings.

The U.S. federal court system features 13 appellate courts, 12 U.S. Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Readers will learn about the Courts of Appeals, where judges review District Court rulings and procedures. In these courts, lawyers debate whether or not a ruling should be overturned. Was the correct law applied? Was the trial conducted fairly? Most importantly, was the decision constitutional? This book uses real-life examples of some of the most famous cases in history to educate readers about what an appeal is and why it is an important part of the justice system.