After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

• Explain judicial review, how it developed in the United States, how it is used to enforce the rule of law, and why judicial independence is vital.
• Describe the structure of the U.S. court system and identify the advantages and disadvantages of this type of system.
• Examine how a case reaches and gets decided by the Supreme Court.
• Understand the impact of judicial philosophy on how Supreme Court justices decide cases and craft legal opinions.
• Identify the range of limits placed on the Supreme Court to prevent it from overreaching or abusing its power.
• Compare and contrast the criteria used to select judges at the state and federal levels.