Vest — to furnish with authority; inferior — lower in rank, order, place; appeal — an urgent call for sympathy or aid; resign — to give up a position; maritime cases — cases, relating to the sea; quorum — the number of persons who must, by the rules, be present at a meeting, to make its decisions valid; judiciary (federal) — judicial branch of power; claim — the right to ask for; monetary — of money; contractual — connected with a contract; allege — to present a statement (as a fact), to claim smth. to be true; customs — import duties (tax).