Unit 8 Vocabulary

Asking a higher court to review the decision of a lower court

• Appeal
• Revise
• Confirm
• Overturn

A court that reviews the decision of a lower court

• appellate court
• supreme court
• district court
• municipal court

A trial in which a judge decides the verdict

• bench trial
• court ruling
• Judge's choice

• jury trial

A written argument submitted to a court

• claim
• plea
• petition
• brief

Laws that refer to disputes between two private people or groups

• Public laws
• Civil laws
• Criminal laws
• International laws

A judge's opinion that agrees with the decision of the court but for different reasons

• Dissenting opinion
• Majority opinion
• Minority opinion
• Concurring opinion

Laws that define what acts are crimes (behavior harmful to society)

• Criminal laws
• Civil laws
• Justice laws
• Legal laws

A person whom the government charges with a crime and puts on trial in criminal court or a person being sued by someone else in a civil court

• defendant
• plaintiff
• accused
• prosecutor

A judge's opinion that disagrees with the decision of a court

• Dissenting opinion
• Disagreeing statement
• Opposing view
• Contrary opinion

Artifacts and witness statements that lawyers use to try to prove their side of a case

• Allegations

• Evidence

• Proof
• Testimony