Question

Scenario #1

Johnny was distraught! He knew he was innocent. It was an accident! Grant it, he should not have been playing with his dad’s blow torch, but he did not mean to burn down the neighbor’s shed. He wished he could press rewind. How did he get here!? There were so many things to consider – so many facts that the jury seemed to ignore. He was only 15 and didn’t deserve to be tried as an adult. But arson is a serious crime, so they had the option of treating him as an adult. Johnny got a better lawyer and hoped that this panel of judges would go easier on him after reviewing the facts from the case before – and considering he has his whole life ahead of him.


questions

Would the case be tried in a state court or federal court? Explain your reasoning.
Is the court case an example of original or appellate jurisdiction? Explain your reasoning.
Is it a civil or criminal court case?
If it's a criminal court case, is the alleged crime a misdemeanor or a felony?
Based on the above, who would be involved in the court case? Name the different people that would appear in the court room and explain their role

Answer 1

1. The case of arson would be tried in a state court rather than a federal court because arson is a state crime and not a federal offence.

Arson can only become a federal crime when the property destroyed during the act is owned by the federal government.

What is arson?

Arson is willful or malicious damage to property by setting it on fire.

2. The court case against Johnny is an example of original jurisdiction.  He committed the crime against his neighbor and the crime can only be first tried in the state where it was committed.

Since this involves the first hearing of the case, it is based on original jurisdiction and not appellate jurisdiction.

3. The case of Johnny and the state is a criminal case because a willful crime was committed by Johnny's act of setting his neighbor's shed on fire.

4. The crime is simply a misdemeanor and not a felony since Johnny did not intentionally set out to burn down his neighbor's shed, but he was simply being mischievous by playing with his father's blow torch.

5. The different people involved in this court case are the defendant (Johnny), the prosecutor (representing the State Attorney-General's office), the jury, the judge, and other interested parties, including the neighbor and local media.

6. The presence of these people is justified on the ground that they have different roles to play in deciding and reporting the case.

Thus, a criminal case involving arson usually requires a state court's attention rather than the federal court.

Learn more about arsons at https://brainly.com/question/3788903