Question

1. In the debate for the student council election, a student candidate quoted explicit lyrics from a popular song. The school suspended him for two days, in line with school policy.

2. A student sued the school over its policy of holding two proms: one for African American students and one for white students.

- Are these civil or criminal cases? How do you know?
- Which court has original jurisdiction in the case: state court, federal court, or the U.S. Supreme Court?
-. Where will the case go next if it is appealed?

Answer 1

Both example one and two are civil cases. Civil cases are those that involve contracts and/or wrongful or negligent acts resulting in the private wrong, damage, or injury of someone or something.

State court has original jurisdiction over both examples due to both dealing with local citizens. If appealed, both cases may go before the federal court due to the question of infringement on constitutional rights in each example.