1. How Federal Courts Are Organized

2. U.S. District Courts
Most federal cases are handled in the 94 U.S. district courts
District courts are the federal courts where trials are held and lawsuits begin
Every state has at least one district court
District courts have original jurisdiction, authority to hear the case for the first time
District courts hear witnesses and juries hear cases and reach verdicts

3. U.S. Court of Appeals
A large % of people who lose their cases in a district court appeal the decision
Appeals go to a U.S. court of appeal, these courts review the decisions made in the district court
Appeals courts have appellate jurisdiction
Lawyers usually appeal when they think the judge in their case applied the law incorrectly, used the wrong procedures, or if new evidence turns up
There are 12 US Courts of appeals that each cover a district , 13th court deals with special cases like international trade
11 of the Appeals Courts have defined geographic regions, the 12th and 13th are both located in DC

4. U.S. Court of Appeals Appeals courts DO NOT hold trials
Appeals courts may decide an appeal in one of three ways
1- uphold the original decision
2- reverse that decision
3- remand the case back to the lower court to be tried again
A panel of typically 3 judges make their decision by majority vote
One of the judges who decided the case writes the “opinion” of the court explaining why they made their decision
Opinion sets a precedent, sets a model for future cases
Appeals judges must write the Court’s opinion

5. Federal Judges
According to the Constitution the President appoints judges, must be approved by the Senate
The Constitution provides no qualifications for judges; what should the President look for?
Judges are appointed for life, why?
When picking judges for the district court the President usually asks the Senators from the candidates state what they think, “Senatorial courtesy”
Judges are assisted by magistrates, the US attorneys office, and the US marshals
“I don’t know who to pick, maybe Mr. Riley would be a good judge?”