American government

American government

This category is for all terms related to American government and politics.

Industry: Government

Add a new term

Contributors in American government

Become a Contributors

American government

Merits brief

Government; American government

Once the Supreme Court has granted certiorari in a case, each party has the opportunity to file merits briefs. Unlike the certiorari-stage briefs, which tell the Court why it should or should not ...

An order is an instruction or direction issued by the Court. Unlike an opinion, which analyses the law, an order tells parties or lower courts what they are to do. For example, the Court can order ...

Docket

Government; American government

The calendar of cases that the Court is scheduled to hear is known as the docket. A case is "docketed" when it is added to the docket, and it is given a "docket number" at that time. The Court's ...

Remand

Government; American government

The term "remand" means "to send back," and refers to just that – a decision by the Supreme Court to send a case back to the lower court for further action. When it remands a case, the Court ...

Concurring opinion

Government; American government

Sometimes a judge votes with the majority of the court on the outcome of a case, but wants to write a separate concurring opinion (or "concurrence"). For example, a "concurrence in the judgment" may ...

Capital case

Government; American government

In a capital case, the prosecution asks the jury to sentence a defendant on trial for murder to death. By the time a capital case reaches the Supreme Court, the defendant has already been convicted ...

Habeas petition

Government; American government

A habeas petition is a request for a court to review the legality of someone's detention or imprisonment. All federal courts – not just the Supreme Court – can hear habeas petitions, though federal ...