American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition (Harrison)

Chapter 14: The Judiciary

Chapter Summary

This chapter represents an opportunity for students to learn about the federal judiciary, the institution most citizens turn to for dispute resolution. Although the authors admit that the judiciary was designed as the weakest government branch, the authors also convey the importance of this branch in citizen involvement in government. The chapter presents this information through analysis of the following:

• The origins of the U.S. judiciary
• The basis of U.S. law, including common law and code law
• The sources of U.S. law, including constitutions, statutes, judicial decisions, executive orders, and administrative law
• The structure of the federal court system
• The selection process of federal judges
• The processes of decision-making by the U.S. Supreme Court
• The notion of judges as policymakers
• Checks and balances that apply to the courts