HOW U.S. COURTS WORK
Contents 

FROM THE EDITORS

HOW THE U.S. COURT SYSTEM FUNCTIONS
Professor Toni Fine, associate director, Global Law School Program, New York University School of Law, discusses the mechanics of the U.S. court system and how each set of courts fits into the overall scheme.

PLAYERS IN THE JUDICIAL PROCESS
Contributing editors Stuart Gorin and Bruce Carey interview the an assistant U.S. attorney, a public defender, an attorney and a judge on their roles in the judicial process.

KEY DISTINCTIONS IN THE U.S. COURT SYSTEM
Osborne E. Ayscue, Jr., president of the American College of Trial Lawyers, writes on the two separate forms of court proceedings: criminal and civil, and explains the distinctions that are key to an understanding of the U.S system of justice.

COMMON LAW V. CIVIL LAW SYSTEMS
As a co-equal branch of government, the judiciary operates free of control by the executive and legislative branches, deciding cases impartially, uninfluenced by popular opinion. Judge Peter Messitte, U.S. District Court, Maryland, looks at the origins of common and civil law and how they both function today.

JUDICIAL ETHICS AND THE RULE OF LAW
In a telepress conference to Slovenian judges, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy talks about how the judicial branch of government must guarantee the neutrality of the rule of law.

BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION:
THE SUPREME COURT DECISION THAT CHANGED A NATION
Contributing editor David Pitts traces the origins of one of the most important decisions in the history of U.S. constitutional law -- Brown v. Board of Education -- an opinion that changed the nation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Articles, books and videos on the U.S. courts and legal system.

INTERNET SITES
World Wide Web sites on the U.S. courts and legal system, including a glossary of legal terms.

The opinions expressed on other Internet sites listed here do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. government.


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Editor, Issues of Democracy
Democracy and Human Rights -- I/TDHR
U.S. Information Agency
301 4th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20547
United States of America

[email protected].

Publisher Judith Siegel
Editor Anthony W. Sariti
Managing Editor Deborah M.S. Brown
Consulting Editor Wayne Hall
Internet/Text Editor Deborah M.S. Brown
Contributing Editors Estelle Baird
Bruce Carey
Mona Esquetini
Stuart Gorin
Charla Hatton
John Jasik
David Pitts
Reference Specialists Carol Norton
Barbara Sanders
Art Director Diane Woolverton
Graphics Design Chloe Ellis
Graphics Assistant Sylvia Scott
Editorial Board Howard Cincotta
Judith Siegel
Leonardo Williams