The system of government of the United States, initiated as an experiment in the matter of freedom and democracy in 1776, has given evidence of its admirable resistance and adaptability. Even though the United States is often referred to as a democracy, it is more accurate to define it as a federal constitutional republic. What does that mean? "Constitutional" refers to the fact that the government of this country is based on a Constitution that is the supreme law of the nation. The Constitution not only provides the framework that defines what the structure of the federal government and state governments should be, but also imposes signifi cant limits on the powers of the federal government all of them. "Federal" means that the governments of the 50 states exist alongside the national government. The "republic" is a form of government in which the people hold power, but elect representatives to exercise it.
“The judicial branch consists of a supreme court, an appeals court, district courts, probate courts, magistrate courts, and other inferior courts as created by law.
The supreme court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices; the appeals court, created to take over some of the supreme court's caseload, is composed of 10 judges. All are elected for eight-year terms.
The state's 33 counties are divided into 13 judicial districts, served by 72 district judges, each elected for a six-year term. District courts have unlimited general jurisdiction and are commonly referred to as trial courts. They also serve as courts of review for decisions of lower courts and administrative agencies. Each county has a probate court, served by a probate judge who is elected from within the county for a two-year term.
In 2001, New Mexico had a total crime rate of 5,324.0 per 100,000 persons, including a total of 14,288 violent crimes and 83,095 crimes against property in that year. In June 2001, there were 5,288 inmates held in state and federal correctional facilities, an increase of 0.2% over the previous year. The state's incarceration rate stood at 281 per 100,000 inhabitants.
New Mexico imposes the death penalty but has only executed one person since 1976. In 2003, there were three prisoners under sentence of death.”
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/states/New-Mexico-Judicial-system.html#ixzz5YbGWSpXg
Pretty vulnerable because during that age they were not allowed a full education and neither could they get any jobs at all. They likely wouldn’t last long if at all due to the fact that they were considered inferior.
In 1830, they took the state of Georgia to court in a case that challenged Georgia's jurisdictional claims directly. In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, the Cherokees sought an injunction against Georgia's attempts to implement its act of 1828 asserting sovereignty over Cherokee lands.
