1.（大陪审团）.pptVIP

Lec3-The Supreme Court—The Highest Judicial Authority of America The Supreme Court is comprised of nine justices who are appointed to the bench for life, or until voluntary retirement. They are appointed by the President and must be confirmed by the U. S. Senate. A Case’s Path to the Supreme Court While the Supreme Court may choose to hear (审理） cases directly, it most often selects cases that have been decided in lower courts （初级法院）. Participants （当事人） in cases decided in lower courts can appeal to their state’s highest or Supreme Court. If all state venues are exhausted, litigants (诉讼当事人） may appeal to the United States Supreme Court, the highest court in this country. Some cases may begin in federal courts at the start （初审）, and these can also end up here. The nine justices choose which cases to take from those submitted to the Supreme Court. They can refuse to consider （审理）a case, accept （受理）a case for oral argument（口头辩论） , or decide（裁决） the case summarily without a hearing （开庭）. Each of these routes has an effect on the law: the decision not to hear a case allows a lower court’s ruling （裁决）to stand as precedent（判例）, or guiding law for other states. The court often decides that a case should be heard in circumstances in which two or more lower courts have decided differently. This “split” in the opinions of lower courts is common in highly charged issues. In this circumstance, the court acts as final arbiter（最终仲裁者）on a difficult issue. The Final Decision—The Majority Rules The Supreme Court cases that are heard for oral argument are decided by a majority of the justices accepting one theory or opinion of the elements of the case. Basically, the side with most votes wins; that’s why most cases have numbers like 7:2 or 5:4 that let us know how many judges voted for or against a particular case. When there is no clear majority, the resulting decision is called a plurality opinion (多数意见）. It is the interpretation that receives more votes than any other opinion.