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Courts Federal Appointments – appointment of a federal judge, for life time but a judge appointed
by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senatein accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution.

Qualifications to Serve
There are no constitutional requirements for becoming a federal judge; however, there are established guidelines for most judicial positions. Article III Federal Courts (Judicial Branch)

   

US District Courts US Court of International Trade US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts Supreme Court of the United States Appointment requires:

1. Nomination by the US President 2. Confirmation by a simple majority vote of the Senate There are no constitutional requirements for becoming an Article III judge or justice; however, the President usually considers the recommendation and evaluation of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary. The ABA lists the following suggested minimum criteria for nomination to the above constitutional courts: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Member in good standing in the state bar for at least five years Practicing trial attorney and/or trial judge for at least 12 years Competent citizen of good character, integrity, reason, intelligence, and judgment Distinguished accomplishments Appellate nominations must be legal scholars

Senatorial Courtesy - an unwritten political custom in the United States whereby
the president consults the senior U.S. Senator of his political party of a givenstate before [ nominating any person to a federal vacancy within that Senator's state.
the distinction of state and federal courts that make up the judicial branch of government. Dual court system refers to the separate Federal and State tracks under the umbrella of the Judicial branch of the United States government. Federal courts hear criminal and civil cases that involve constitutional and federal law, policies and special subject matter (such as Bankruptcy, or Federal Tax); while State courts reserve the power to hear civil and criminal cases related to state laws and state constitutional issues.

Dual Court System -

Supreme Court - is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate (but
largely discretionary) appellate jurisdiction over all federal courts and over state court cases involving issues of federal law, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases.

Circuit – the twelve appellate courts that make up the middle level of the federal court system District Courts - original jurisdiction trial courts of the federal system Jurisdiction - power of a court to hear a case in question

Original jurisdiction – refers to a particular courts power to serve as the place where a given case is initially argued and decided. Appeal – in general request that a higher court review cases decide at a lower level in the supreme court certain cases are designated as appeals under federal law, formally these must be heard by the court. Judicial Review –power of the courts especially the supreme court, to declare laws of congress, laws of the states and actions of president unconstitutional and invalid. Judicial Restraint – self imposed limiations on judicial power by judges deferring to the policy judgements of elected branches of government. Original Intent – judicial philosophy under which judges attempt to apply the values of the founders to current issues Judicial Activism (limits to it) – making of new law through judicial interpretations of the constitution. Precedent– legal principle that previous decisions should determine the outcome of the current cases the basis for stability in law (Stare Decisis) – judicial precept that the issue has already been decided in earlier cases and the earlier decisions need only be applied in the specific case before the bench, the rule in most cases, it comes from the latin “the decision stands” Briefs (also, Amicus Briefs) – documents submitted by an attorney to a court, setting out the facts of the case and the legal arguments in support of the party representd by the attorney Civil Court - non criminal court proceedings in which a plaintiff sues a defendat for damages in payment for harm inflicted Criminal Court - A court empowered to hear and decide on cases involving offenses against
criminal law.

Issues of Fact - debatable issue, disputed factual point, disputed question, inquiry into the truth,
issue to beaddressed, material disputed point, material point, matter in question, matter of contention, point at issue, point in quession, point to be determined, question at issue, question for inquiry, question to be addressed, question to be deterrined, questionable issue Issues of Law - a legal issue at stake in the prosecution of a crime for which an expert witness is providing testimony.

Adversarial System - method of decions making in which an impartial judge or jury or decision maker hears arguments and reviews evidence presented by opposite sides Inquisitorial System Standing - requirement that the party who files a lawsuit have a legal stake in the outcome Writ of Certiorari (cert) -writ issued by the supreme court at its disecretion, to order a lower court to prepare the record od a case and send it to the supreme court for review. Most cases come to the court as petitions for writs of certiorari Majority Opinion –opinion in a case that is subscribed to by a majority of the judges who participated in the decision Concurring Opinion - opinion by a member of a court that agrees with the result reached by the court in the case but disagrees with or departs from the courts rational for the decision Dissenting Opinion - opion by a member of a court that disagrees with the result reached by the court in the case Rational Basis - refers to a level of scrutiny applied by courts when deciding cases presenting
constitutional due process or equal protection issues related to the Fifth

Amendment or Fourteenth Amendment. Rational basis is the lowest level of scrutiny that a court applies when engaging in judicial review. Intermediate Scrutiny - in U.S. constitutional law, is the second level of deciding issues using judicial review. The other levels are typically referred to as rational basis review (least rigorous) and strict scrutiny (most rigorous). Strict Scrutiny - is the most stringent standard of judicial review used by United States courts. It is part of the hierarchy of standards that courts use to weigh the government's interest against a constitutional right or principle. The lesser standards are rational basis review and exacting or intermediate scrutiny. These standards are used to test statutes and government action at all levels of government within the United States.

Legal Model- which includes attitudinal , rational and new institutional Attitudinal Model - an approach that views courts—especially the United States Supreme Court—as policymaking institutions that are similar to legislatures and administrative agencies Rational Choice Model - a framework for understanding and often formally modeling social and
economic behavior.

New Institutional Model - Public policy is determined by political institutions, which give
policy legitimacy. Government universally applies policy to all citizens of society and monopolizes the use of force in applying policy. Thelegislature, executive and judicial branches of government are examples of institutions that give policy legitimacy. TX Court Structure (Bifurcated) - a judge's ability to divide a trial into two parts so as to render a judgment on a set of legal issues without looking at all aspects. Frequently, civil cases are bifurcated into separateliability and damages proceedings. Criminal trials are also often bifurcated into guilt and sentencing phases, especially in capital cases.

TX Judicial Selection Process - The Texas Legislature is in Session. Every two

years the Texas Legislature meets for 5 months. An issue that has been addressed previously and that has become more timely in Texas is Judicial Selection. All Texas judges are elected in partisan elections. As a consequence, the "down ballot" races, such as the judicial races are often decided by hotly contested national or state-wide races. Recently, the judiciary in Houston, Harris County, virtually turned over during the presidential election of 2008 with over 40 Republican District Judges being replaced with 40 new Democrats. Because of this the issue of judicial selection is a hot button issue in Texas.
Justice Political Culture - widely shared views about who should govern, for what ends, and by what means (Classical) Liberalism - political philosophy asserting the worth and dignity of the individual and emphazing the rational ability of human beings to determining their own destinies. Capitalism - economic system asserting the individuals rights to own private property and to buy sell, rent and trade that property in a free market Equality (Legal equality ) – belief that the laws should apply equally to all persons, (Political Equality ) – belief that every persons vote counts equally De jure - is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which
means "concerning fact"
[1]

or "according to law" .

[2]

De facto - In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice
or actuality, but not officially established.

Equality of Opportunity – elimination of artificial barriers to success in life and the oppostunity for everyone to strive for success Equality of Outcome/Results –equal sharing of income and material goods Social Mobility - extent to which people moved upward or downward in income and status over a lifetime or over generations. Ideology (Left vs. Right) – consistent and integrated system of ideas, values and beliefs Justice (various notions) - is a concept of moral rightness based
on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity. It is also the act of being just and/or fair.

[

Positive Freedom – Freedom exists to extent that we are protected in doing what we wish, you have freedom to speak, givern and protected by the government via the 1st ammendment Negative Freedom – freedom exists only in the absence of someone or some force limiting what we can do, you have the freedom to do anything you want. Conservatism – belief in the value of free markets, limited government and individual self reliance in economic affairs combiened with a belief in the value of tradition, law and morality in social affairs Progressivismthe political orientation of those who favor progress toward better conditions in government and society. Liberalism – belief in the value of strong government to provide economic security and protection for civil rights, combined with a belief in personal freedom from government intervention in social conduct Libertarnism – opposing government intervention in both economic and social affairs and favoring minimal government in all sectors of society LEFT – A REFRENCE TO THE LIBERAL PROGRESSIVE AND OR SOCIALIST AND COMMUNIST SIDE OF THE POLITICAL SPECTURUM RIGHT – A REFERENCE TO THE CONSERVATIVE, TRADITIONAL ANTICOMMUINIST SIDE OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM. Policy Making - General Policy Process Model - Policy creation is a process following these steps:
     Identification of a problem and demand for government action. Formulation of policy proposals by various parties (e.g., congressional committees, think tanks, interest groups). Selection and enactment of policy; this is known as Policy Legitimation. Implementation of the chosen policy. Evaluation of policy.

This model, however, has been criticized for being overly linear and simplistic. In reality, stages of the policy process may overlap or never happen. Also, this model fails to take the multiple actors attempting the process itself as well as each other, and the complexity this entails.

[5]

Policy Entrepreneurs - Activists in or out of government who pull together a political
majority on behalf of unorganized interests.

Agenda Setting - "ability [of the news media] to influence the salience of topics on the public
agenda." Essentially, the theory states that the more salient a news issue is - in terms of frequency and prominence of coverage - the more important news audiences will regard the issue to be. Policy Legitimization - -deliberating potential of the U.S. Supreme Court.
[1]

Civil Rights and Liberties Incorporation Doctrine – In constitutional law, the application of almost all of the bill of rights to the states and all of their subdivisions through the 14th amendment Bill of Rights (what they include) Civil War Amends. (esp. 14th) - All persons born or naturalized in the usa and subject to jurisdiction thereof, are cititzens of the united states and of the state wherein they reside. Establishment of Religion –Puritan was the official faith of the colonial Massachusetts, and Virginia officialy established the church of England Extablishment Clause - clause in the 1st amendment to the constitution that is interpreted to require the separation of church and state Free Exercise of Religion – you can practice any religion or no religion religion Free Speech (and limits to it) – people can say anything, but they will get arrested for being hateful to other races Censorship – A restriction government has kept majorly on movies to label the type of movie that people can expect. Right to Privacy (basis for it?) - The Supreme Court has found that, although the right to
privacy is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, it can be found in what is called the "penumbra" of other constitutional protections. This means that these rights by necessity create other rights. This was first set forth in Griswold v Connecticut (1965). The right to privacy would not extend to drug use as drug use can have a negative impact on people other than the user. Thus, it is more than a private, personal decision. Eminent Domain - The power to take private property for public use by a state, municipality, or private person or corporation authorized to exercise functions of public character, following the payment of just compensation to the owner of that property. Due Process Rights - the legal requirement that the state must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects individual persons from it. When a government harms a person without following the exact course of the law, this constitutes a due-process violation, which offends against the rule of law.

Expansion of Civil Rights - The most important expansion of civil rights in the United States was the enactment of the 13th and 14th Amendments. The 14th Amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States. In response to the 13th Amendment, various states enacted “black codes” which were intended to limit the civil rights of the newly freed slaves. In 1868, the 14th Amendment was passed to counter the “black codes” and ensure that no state “shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of the citizens of the United States… [or] deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, [or] deny to any person within

its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Congress was also given power by section five of the 14th Amendment to pass any laws needed for its enforcement. Brown v. Board of Education - was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme
Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which allowed state-sponsored segregation. Affirmative Action - refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, [1] sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented [2] group "in areas of employment, education, and business", usually justified as countering the effects of a history of discrimination.

Economic Policy Fiscal Policy – economic policies involving taxing, spending, and deficit levels of the national government Monetary Policy – (LESS COMPLICATED) economic policies involving the money supply, interest rates, and banking activity. Federal Reserve Board (Fed) –Independent agency of the executive branch of the federal government charged with overseeing the nations monetary policy Inflation – rise in the general level of prices, not just the prises of some products Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – measure of economic performance in terms of the nations total production of goods and services for a single year, valued in terms of market prices Economic Cycles – fluctuations in real GDP growth followed by contraction. Unemployment rate – percentage of the civilian labor force who are not working but who are looking for work or waiting to return to or to begin a job Balance of Trade - is the difference between the monetary value of exportsand imports of output
in an economy over a certain period. It is the relationship between a nation's imports and [1][dead link] exports. A positive balance is known as a trade surplus if it consists of exporting more than is imported; a negative balance is referred to as a trade deficit or, informally, a trade gap. The balance of trade is sometimes divided into a goods and a services balance.

Mandatory Spending – spending for program commitments made by past congressess Entitlement Spending – social welfare programs that provide classes of people with legally enforceable rights to benefits Health Care Reform – a major overall change in the health insurance coverage of people. Medicaid and Medicare also benefit in growth in federal spending Discretionary Spending – spending for programs not previously mandated by law Deficit vs. Debt - (deficit )- imbalances in the annual federal budget in which spending exceeds revenues, (debt)- total debt accumulated by the national government over the years Income Tax –taxes on individuals wages and other earned income the primary source of revenue for the U.S federal government Tax Expenditures – revenues lost to the federal government because of exemptions, exclusions, deductions, and special treatment provisions in tax laws Progressive Taxation –system of taxation in which higher income groups pay a larger percentage of their incomes in taxes than the lower income groups Regressive Taxation – system of taxation in which lower income groups pay a larger percentage of their incomes in taxes than do higher income groups Flat Tax – system of taxation in which all income groups pay the same percentage of their income in taxes

Free Market – a system of economy, where lazzie faire is practice and that there is little or no government influence on economy Keynesianism - advocates a mixed economy — predominantly private sector, but with a
significant role of government and public sector — and served as the economic model during the later part of the Great Depression, World War II, and the post-war economic expansion Socialism - an economic system characterised by social ownership and/or control of the means [1] of production and cooperative management of the economy, and a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperativeenterprises, common ownership, direct public ownership or autonomous state enterprises

Security Policy Deterrence – U.S approach to deterring any nuclear attack from the soviet union by maintain a second strike capability (AFGHANISTAN) – (Fear of heavy response on countries from other) Preemption - Iraq – premptive approach - The direct attack on US but danger was perceived Realism – (conservatism) – power is dictated by military strength, powerful countries dominate the international system Institutionalism – power is dicated primarly by economic strength, international agreements institution promote peace via trade, liveral peace theory and golden arches theory Constructivism - both military and economic strength factor into power, but its not just having
it, but being willing to use it Isolationist Policy – U.S military power solely for national defense and security relationship with other country should be limited with trade

Conservative Foreign Policy – more willing to use power than isolationist, more power should be used sparingly, and only when U.S has a key security purpose Liberal Foreign Policy – (HUMANITARIAN) – power is a double edged sword can be used properly or improperly, and should only be used as a last resort .- (focus is on “soft power” policies) Neo-conservative For. Policy – we should influence the world with our power for economic and military reasons (bush, raegan are the examples) Hard vs. Soft Power –(Hard Power): Military Actions, convert Actions, direct support for leaders and government (Soft Power) : “moral power” on “Moral Superioty” Rally „round the flag - increased short-run popular support of the President of the United
Statesduring periods of international crisis or war. Because Rally 'Round The Flag syndrome [1] reduces criticism of governmental policies, it is seen as a factor of Diversionary Foreign Policy. “Vietnam Syndrome” - in public political rhetoric and political analysis, to describe the perceived impact of the domestic controversy over the Vietnam War on US foreign policy after the end of that war in 1975. Since the early 1980s, the combination of a public opinion apparently biased against war, a less interventionist US foreign policy, and a relative absence of American wars and military 'Vietnam paralysis'. Globalization - increasing global relationships of culture, people, and economic activity. It is generally used to refer toeconomic globalization: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import quotas and the reduction of restrictions on the movement of capital and on investment.
[1]

Foreign Aid -- a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another, given at least
partly with the objective of benefiting the recipient country. It may have other functions as well: it may be given as a signal of diplomatic approval, or to strengthen a military ally, to reward a government for behaviour desired by thedonor, to extend the donor's cultural influence, to provide infrastructure needed by the donor for resource extraction from the recipient country, or [3 to gain other kinds of commercial access.
[2]

Terrorism – premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience Names to Know: Ben Bernanke - an American economist and currently chairman of the Federal Reserve,
the central bank of the United States. During his tenure as chairman, Bernanke has overseen the Federal Reserve's response to thelate-2000s financial crisis. Tim Geithner - an American economist, central banker, and civil servant. He is the 75th and currentUnited States Secretary of the Treasury, serving under President Barack Obama. He was previously the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Leon Panetta - is the 23rd and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama since 2011. Hillary Clinton - is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. John Marshall - was the Chief Justice of the United States (1801–1835) whose court opinions helped lay the basis forAmerican constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches. John Roberts - is the 17th and current Chief Justice of the United States. He has served since 2005, having been nominated by President George W. Bush after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist. He has been described as having a conservative judicialphilosophy in his jurisprudence.

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