In Week 2, we are focusing on the US Legal System. We will review the peculiarities of the US legal system which include the adversarial justice system, federalism, and the structures of state courts vs. the federal courts. We will learn about the basic purpose of the American legal system. We will also study the US Supreme Court.
We have a number of reading materials for this week. Please make sure to read and annotate because it is easy to get lost in details.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this week, you will be able to:
- Compare and contrast the two prominent theories about the underlying purpose of the law.
- Show similarities and differences between two competing value systems (models) often identified when discussing the purpose of the criminal justice process.
- Explain what the basic purpose of the American legal system is.
- Understand the difference between a crime and a tort.
- Describe the levels on which the judicial system operates and what main functions are served by courts.
- Understand the authority under which the Supreme Court operates.
- Explain the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
- Describe the significance of Marbury v. Madison (1803).
