lower federal courts

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Across
  1. 1. In matters unrelated to commerce, a country has sovereign _____, meaning it cannot be sued unless it agrees to be sued.
  2. 4. Federal courthouse police officers. They transport prisoners, keep courthouses secure, protect witnesses, etc.
  3. 6. If you can’t possibly pay back your debts on time, you need to go through this legal process to help you sort out your financial problems.
  4. 9. A judge who handles many routine matters and minor cases such as misdemeanor criminal cases.
  5. 12. Someone who files a civil (non-criminal) case against a defendant in a district court
  6. 13. The Court of Appeals for the _____ Circuit hears cases about special topics including government contracts, some intellectual property issues, and some international trade issues.
  7. 14. The US Court of Appeals for _____ hears cases about retirement and disability benefits and other matters concerning former soldiers and other members of the armed services.
  8. 15. An earlier court ruling on a similar case; courts within one circuit tend to follow precedent so that similar cases have similar outcomes.
  9. 16. There are twelve of these, plus the Federal one (which has jurisdiction over certain special types of cases). They are how the appellate courts are organized geographically. Courts are only required to follow precedents from within their own _____ (or, of course, from the Supreme Court).
Down
  1. 2. A relatively minor crime, for which the punishment is one year or less. More serious crimes are called felonies.
  2. 3. A hearing to decide whether a soldier or other member of the armed services committed a crime.
  3. 5. The person who lost at trial and wants to appeal the case to a higher court.
  4. 7. Written arguments that the plaintiff and defendant use to try to persuade the court
  5. 8. A group of citizens who meet in secret to listen to evidence presented by an Assistant US Attorney and decide whether to file criminal charges.
  6. 10. If you are charged with a serious crime and cannot afford to pay for a lawyer, under Gideon v. Wainwright, the court will assign a public _____ to be your lawyer.
  7. 11. The US Court of Federal _____ hears many cases involving government contracts. The US has waived sovereign immunity for many kinds of business deals with contractors, and this court is where contractors usually go if they have complaints about getting properly paid.