As an appeals court, the supreme court does not convene new jury trials but rather reviews the decisions of lower court judges and juries.as the justices on the court begin to weigh the merits of the cases that come before them, attorneys on both sides ofnthe case present oral arguments in the supreme court chamber.
A democracy where the citizens don't rule directly (such as in Switzerland, through referendums) is representative democracy, as opposed to a direct democracy.