1. What is constitutional law?
2. What is statutory law?
3. What is administrative law?
4. What is common law?
5. What is equity?
6. What are the two kinds of crimes?
7. What is civil law?
8. What is the function of a grand jury?
9. How has the makeup of petit juries changed over the years?
10. How are members of a petit jury chosen?
Kinds of Laws in State Courts
1. constitutional law
- body of law based on the U.S. and state constitutions and judicial interpretations of them
2. statutory law
- body of law based on statutes enacted by legislative bodies
3. administrative law
- rules, orders, and regulations issued by executive branches of government
4. common law
- the unwritten, judge-made law that has developed over the centuries
5. equity
- body of law that provides remedies for wrongs before they occur
Criminal and Civil Law
Two Kinds of Crimes
1. felonies
- serious crimes
2. misdemeanors
- lesser offenses
What is civil law?
Disputes between individuals and between individuals and governments
Jury System
What does a grand jury do?
They determine whether the facts of a case warrant bringing a criminal case to trial
How have petit juries changed over the years?
They used to be all men (12)
Now they are men & women and may only be 6 in number
How are petit jury members chosen?
They are selected from various lists of citizens in a community
Precedents & Common Law
What is a precedent and what part does it play in common law?
Following precedent is abiding by earlier court decisions as they have been handed down over the years by judges
Precedents create a body of law known as common law