7 th Grade Civics Miss Smith *pgs

 The Constitution states “the judicial power of the U.S. shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior [lower] courts as the Congress may from time to time… establish.”  Which Article in the Constitution can you find this?

 There are 3 levels of federal courts  Each level has jurisdiction (extent of the court’s authority to hear and decide a case brought before it)  Two types of jurisdiction: original and appellate

 District courts- lowest level of federal courts in the U.S.  Ex: Trial courts, courts of original jurisdiction (authority to be the first courts in which cases are heard)

 The only federal court where jury trials are held  Cannot hear appeals from other courts  These are the “local” federal courts with at least 1 in each state and D.C.  94 total

 Judges don’t make laws. That job goes to who?  Judges apply the relevant law to the cases before them  The number of judges per court depend on the caseload of the court  Conduct civil and criminal trials with or without juries  If no jury, the judge decides who wins/loses and sets punishments

 Federal judges (except those in U.S. territories) are appointed for life  The president chooses them, Senate approves  Can be impeached by Congress  Neither Congress nor the pres. can lower a judge’s salary  All of this ensures judges aren’t punished for their decisions in cases

 After a court case is lost, the losing party can appeal to the second level of the federal court system, or the court of appeals (C.o.A.)  These courts have appellate jurisdiction (power to review decisions made by lower courts)  There are 12 judicial circuits and each circuit has it’s own C.o.A.  Each C.o.A. has btwn 6-28 judges  The judge who has served the longest and is under 65 yrs old is the chief judge

 C.o.A.s do not hold trials  A panel of at least 3 judges make a decision on the case  Judges examine records and hear from the lawyers  Judges only decide whether or not the original trial was fair, NOT who is guilty/innocent  Judges reach their decision by majority vote  Either they send the case back to trial or uphold the original decision

 The highest court of the land  Mainly an appeals court  Justices = Judges  The decisions of the justices cannot be appealed  Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in 3 types of cases:  Involving diplomats of other countries  Between states  Involving a state and the federal gov.

 What are the 3 levels of the federal court system and the duties of each kind of federal court?