Autum M Jones 900801584Final EssayUS GovernmentGeorgia Perimeter Community CollegeFall 2015

1. Judiciarya. What role does the Judiciary have in policy making?b. What are the most important responsibilities of the Judiciary?c. What are the roles of each of the courts?d. What are the important factors that influence the Judiciary?e. How do judges become judges? How long do they sit on the bench?

Judiciary- The branch of government compromising the state and federal courts and the judges who preside over them.

The Judiciary’s role in policy making is deciding on how the executive branch implements existing or new laws. This is usually due to major policy questions that end up in court resulting from conflicts or misinterpretation of the law in question.

One of the most responsibilities of the Judiciary is Judicial Review in which the court has authority to determine whether an action taken by any government official or governing body violates the constitution. The second most important (US Supreme Court) would be whether a law violates the constitution.

The roles for the following courts are as followed,Trial Courts have jurisdiction in legal dispute that calls for a decision of guilt or liability based on the given facts provided by both parties, Appellate Courts hold the authority to review cases heard by other courts to correct errors in the interpretation or application of the law.Last but not least, the US Supreme Court holds the power to strike down laws that don’t conform to the US constitution.

Important factors that influence the Judiciary are ‘Stare Decisis’ (Let the decision stand) which are based off of precedent cases. Stare Decisis directs judges to identify previously decided cases and make a ruling based on that case’s outcome. Judges can rule differently if they feel past rulings were wrong or misinterpreted. Common law steps in when a precedent is nowhere to be found. Also Constitutional Law is used for cases involving the interpretation of the constitution.

In order to become a Judge, according to Article two of the Constitution, the president is the only way to become a Federal Judge. To be nominated you need to have Judicial Competence meaning judges must be qualified and have no senatorial doubts about their qualifications. Also you need to have political ideology. This is like the President leaving a small legacy long after he leaves office. For example, a conservative president will nominate a conservative judge and vice versa.

Joining in on our list of requirements are representation of demographic groups and political considerations. Representation of demographics is just that. A judge that will represent their demographic of people. For example, an Asian Judge would represent the Asian demographic.Last but not least is political consideration. This is when nominees are discussed among the public. Interest groups have a significant voice in the confirmation hearings. Support among interest groups and the public are highly sought after, ensuring smooth transitioning into confirmation of being appointed as a Federal judge by the Senate. Among the many interest groups are the American Bar Asscociation, cilvil rights organizations, law enforcement and business groups.

Finally, the length of a judge’s term is for life. They can either hold onto their seat until death or peacefully retire and let the seat open up to a new nominee.

SOURCESAmerican Democracy Now, Textbook.