The Federal Court System

The Inferior Courts There are 94 Judicial districts The District Courts There are 94 Judicial districts The 563 district judges hear 80 percent of the federal caseload. The Courts of Appeals Created in 1891 as "gatekeepers" to the Supreme Court. There are now 12 courts of appeals and 179 circuit judges.

Courts of Appeals

The U.S. Supreme Court

Quick Trivia How many justices are there on the Supreme Court? Answer: 9 How many women and how many men are on the Supreme Court currently? Answer: 6 men and 3 women

U.S. Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Born: March 11, 1936, Trenton, NJ Died: February 13, 2016, Shafter, TX Top row (left to right): Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel A. Alito, and Elena Kagan. Bottom row (left to right): Clarence Thomas, Antonin G. Scalia, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Anthony M. Kennedy, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

What did that mean in 2016?????

Nomination. Article Two of the United States Constitution requires the President of the United States to nominate Supreme Court Justices and, with Senate confirmation, requires Justices to be appointed. President Obama nominated Merrick Garland for the empty Supreme Court position….. However, he was never confirmed leaving the space to be filled by the next President

Trump Nominates Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court So….. January 31, 2017 Trump Nominates Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court

The Senate confirmation Process begins…. Friday, April 7, 2017 WASHINGTON — Judge Neil M. Gorsuch was confirmed by the Senate on Friday to become the 113th justice of the Supreme Court. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/us/politics/neil-gorsuch-supreme-court.html

Terms of the Judges Serve life terms (with good behavior) Until they resign, retire or die in office Can be impeached by Congress Samuel Chase-1805

Appointment of the Supreme Court Judges The President appoints any new member The US Senate then votes to approve or reject *must be approved by a majority vote

Judicial Review Judicial review is the power to decide if an act is constitutional. Marbury v. Madison (1803) established the concept of judicial review in the U.S. (first time in Western history a court invalidated a law by declaring it "unconstitutional“)

Jurisdiction The Supreme Court has both original and appellate jurisdictions Also, it has complete control over its own caseload.

How Cases Reach the Court Under "the rule of four," at least 4 judges must agree that the Court should hear a case before that case is selected for the Court's docket. Most cases reach the Court by writ of certiorari - an order to a lower court to send up the record in a given case.

The Supreme Court at work 10,000 cases appealed to the court each year Only a few hundred are accepted Less than 100 cases per year where lawyer present cases and court gives full opinion

The Supreme Court at work The Yearly session starts on the first Monday in October and lasts until the following June or July.

The Supreme Court at work In most cases lawyers have 30 min to present their case Judges can ask questions White warning light at 25 min Red light at 30 min 9 judges later meet, take a quick poll in order of seniority Discuss their positions Can take months for a decision

How much money does a Justice earn? $214,000-Associate Justice $223,500-Chief Justice *can retire at age 70 if served 10 years at full salary for life; or at age 65 with 15 years of service

Define the terms below Jurisdiction Exclusive jurisdiction Concurrent jurisdiction Original jurisdiction Appellate jurisdiction Docket