| appellate jurisdiction | Jurisdiction restricted to matters of appeal and review.
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| courts of general jurisdiction | Courts authorized to try all criminal and civil cases.
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| courts of limited jurisdiction | The entry point for judicial processing, with jurisdiction limited to full processing of all minor offenses and pretrial processing of felony cases.
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| courts of record | Courts in which a full transcript of the proceedings is made for all cases.
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| dual court system | Courts at the state and federal levels.
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| judicial circuit | A specific jurisdiction served by a judge or court, as defined by given geographical boundaries.
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| justice of the peace | The judges in many lower courts in rural areas, who are typically not lawyers and are locally elected.
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| Marbury v. Madison | The Supreme Court decision that established the High Court's power to review acts of Congress and declare invalid those it found in conflict with the Constitution.
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| Rule of Four | The decision of at least four Supreme Court justices that a case merits consideration by the full court.
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| trial de novo | A new trial, on appeal from a lower court to a court of general jurisdiction.
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| U.S. courts of appeals | The federal courts of appellate jurisdiction.
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| U.S. district courts | The trial courts of the federal judiciary.
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| U.S. magistrates | Federal lower-court officials whose powers are limited to trying lesser misdemeanors, setting bail, and assisting district courts in various legal matters.
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| U.S. Supreme Court | The highest court in the nation and the court of last resort.
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| writ of certiorari | A writ issued by the Supreme Court ordering some lower court to "forward up the record" of a case it has tried so the High Court can review it.
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| writ of mandamus | A command issued by a court to perform a certain duty.
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