| Hung Juries |
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| The United States Constitution guarantees all criminal defendants a right to a trial by a jury of their peers. A criminal jury consists of 12 people. There is also a constitutional right to a jury trial in certain types of civil cases. The jury in a civil case usually contains 6 to 12 people. If the jurors cannot agree on a verdict, the jury is said to be a "hung jury" or a "deadlocked jury." If a jury deadlocks, the result is a mistrial. More... |
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| A Court's Authority to Resolve Disputes |
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| The framers of the United States Constitution separated the functions of government among three separate branches of government--legislative (the Congress), executive (the President), and the judiciary (the courts). The goal was to provide a system of checks and balances among the three branches so that no one branch could become too strong. Each branch of government has certain powers, and these powers are limited by another branch. More... |
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| Federal Court of Appeals Judges |
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| The federal court system has an intermediate level appellate court, which is called the court of appeals. The President of the United States appoints all federal judges, including federal court of appeals judges. However, the United States Senate has to confirm each appointment. Federal judges are appointed for life.
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| Special Federal Courts |
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| The federal court system is made up of federal district courts (trial level courts), courts of appeals (appellate level courts), and the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition, the federal court system has special courts that hear a specific type of case. This article takes a look at special federal courts. More... |
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| Influences Affecting Judicial Decision-Making |
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| The independence of the judiciary is a central principle of a democracy. Judicial independence permits judges to make rulings based on legal principles instead of politics or public opinion. An independent court system allows fair and impartial decisions in legal cases. Political scientists have conducted research and studies to identify what factors influence a judge's decision-making.More... |
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