QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
SOLUTIONS 2025
, state courts of limited jurisdiction - ANSWERScourts that have jurisdiction over
misdemeanors and conduct preliminary investigations of felony charges
courts of general jurisdiction - ANSWERSstate or federal courts that have jurisdiction
over felony offenses and more serious civil cases (that is, cases involving more than a
dollar amount set by the legislature)
appellate court - ANSWERSa court that reconsiders a case that has already been tried
in order to determine whether the measures used complied with accepted rules of
criminal procedure and were in accordance with constitutional doctrines
court of last resort - ANSWERSa court that handles the final appeal on a matter. the US
Supreme Court is the official court of last resort for criminal matters
writ of certiorari - ANSWERSan order of a superior court requesting that the record of
an inferior court (or administrative body) be brought forward for review or inspection
landmark decision - ANSWERSa decision handed down by the US Supreme Court that
becomes the law of the land and serves as a precedent for resolving similar legal issues
jury trial - ANSWERSthe process of deciding a case by a group of persons selected and
sworn in to serve as jurors at a criminal trial, often as a 6- or 12-person jury
US magistrate judge - ANSWERSa federal trial judge who is appointed by a district
court judge and who presides over various civil cases with the consent of the parties
and over certain misdemeanor cases
Missouri Plan - ANSWERSa way of picking judges through nonpartisan elections as a
way to ensure that judges adhere to high standards of judicial performance
prosecutor - ANSWERSrepresentative of the state (executive branch) in criminal
proceedings; advocate for the state's case-the charge-in the adversary trial. Examples
include the attorney general of the united states, US attorneys, the attorneys general of
the states, district attorneys, and police prosecutors. The prosecutor participates in
investigations both before and after arrest, prepares legal documents, participates in
obtaining arrest or search warrants, and decides whether to charge a suspect and, if so,
with which offense. The prosecutor argues the state's case at trial, advises the police,
participates in plea negotiations, and makes sentencing recommendations
public defender - ANSWERSan attorney usually employed (at no cost to the accused)
by the government to represent poor persons accused of a crime