The US Court System Objective 2.01

Dual Court System Federal Court System State Court System

Federal Court System Derives from Article III of US Constitution Governs over cases concerning federal matters Governs over cases concerning diversity of citizenship There are 13 judicial circuits Each circuit has several district courts and one appeals court There are 95 federal district courts

Jurisdiction The authority to hear a case and make a decision Types of Jurisdiction Original: First court to hear a case General: Hear both civil and criminal cases Limited: Hear only certain types of cases Appellate: Review the decisions of lower courts

Federal Jurisdiction Cases heard in the Federal Court System: Cases that involve the United States as a party Cases that raise a federal question Case of that pertain to Diversity of Citizenship Disputes that exceeds $75,000 and involve persons of different states Cases that include Admiralty, Patents, Copyrights, and Bankruptcy Cases

Structure of the Federal Court System US Supreme Court Appellate jurisdiction on involving all federal and state cases Original jurisdiction involving cases in which a state is a party, and cases involving American ambassadors, ministers, and consuls 4 out of 9 justices must vote before a case may be appealed US Court of Appeals Hears appeals from US district courts A 3 judge panels make decisions regarding appeals US District Courts Original jurisdiction over most civil and criminal case Most federal cases begin in one of the US district courts US Special Courts Limited jurisdiction over special court cases Special courts include: US Claims Court, US Tax Court, Territorial Court

Structure of the State Court System Local Trial Courts (limited jurisdiction) Only hear minor matters including misdemeanors, civil actions involving small amounts of money, small claims of property damage, traffic violations, police citations, and other municipal affairs. General Trial Courts (general jurisdiction) Each county has one general trial court Hear all types of major civil and criminal cases Intermediate Appellate Courts (appellate jurisdiction) Only about two-thirds of states have appellate courts Hears appeals from general and local trial courts State Supreme Court (original and appellate jurisdiction) Hear appeals from all lower state courts Has original jurisdiction in cases in which the state is a party and involve a question of state constitution State Special Courts (limited jurisdiction) Hear cases that involve probate issues, major traffic violations, juveniles, family disputes, and other domestic matters