American government

American government

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

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American government

Cert. grant

Government; American government

The Supreme Court grants certiorari when it decides, at the request of the party that has filed a petition for certiorari, to review the merits of the case. For roughly every 100 petitions for ...

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 ...

Respondent

Government; American government

The respondent is the party that won in the lower court. His name goes second in the case name. (For example, Al Gore was the respondent in Bush v. Gore. )

Amicus curiae brief

Government; American government

"Friend of the court" brief; a brief filed by a person, group, or entity that is not a party to the case but nonetheless wishes to provide the court with its perspective on the issue before it. The ...

Circuit

Government; American government

The United States is divided into thirteen circuits with a different court of appeals (see a map here). Eleven of the circuits are numbered first to eleventh. The District of Columbia has its own ...

Grant of certiorari

Government; American government

The Supreme Court grants certiorari when it decides, at the request of the party that has filed a petition for certiorari, to review the merits of the case. For roughly every 100 petitions for ...

Summary reversal

Government; American government

The Court issues a summary reversal when it grants certiorari in a case and overturns the decision below without written briefs or oral argument on the merits. When the Court reaches a judgement this ...