1. Federal Court System
Policy Makers

2. How are the federal courts structured?
intro
How are the federal courts structured?

3. Jurisdiction
Federal Courts

4. Which court has the power
Courts
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Which court has the power
to hear the case?

5. Courts Jurisdiction State Courts Both Federal Courts
State Jurisdiction
Concurrent Jurisdiction
Exclusive Jurisdiction

6. Courts Jurisdiction State
Most cases – 90% of criminal cases – fall under state jurisdiction
Think back to division of powers of federalism – state issues are state laws
Most crime
Divorces
Alcohol
Traffic Violations
Civil cases with litigants from same state

7. Courts Jurisdiction Federal
Things that fall under federal law will be under federal jurisdiction
Crimes that involve more than one state
Interstate commerce – crimes with phone lines, power grids, internet
Crimes involving the mail
Counterfeiting money
Civil suits w/ litigants from different states

8. Courts Jurisdiction Concurrent
Some things fall under the jurisdiction of either
Jurisdiction will depend on the situation
Taxes
Illegal substances

9. Courts Jurisdiction Original Jurisdiction
The first court to hear the case
This can be a state court or a
Federal District Court
Here – the court will only deal with the facts.
EX: Is this person guilty of the crime?

10. Courts Jurisdiction Appellate Jurisdiction
They are the second court (or third if SCOTUS) to hear the case
They review the decisions made by the court of original jurisdiction
They deal with the treatment of the case
(errors, or fairness)
Focus on the constitutional issues instead of the facts of the case
EX: Was this person treated fairly?

11. Federal Court Structure

12. Courts Structure Federal Court System
There are three levels of federal courts in the United States
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the system
The district courts are the lowest level of courts. There are 94 districts
The middle level is made of the
Circuit Courts. The 94 districts are divided into 13 Circuits

13. Courts
Structure

14. Courts Structure Federal District Courts
These are the primary trial courts in the US federal system
They have original jurisdiction in both civil and criminal matters
There is at least one district in each state & districts don’t cross state lines
They also handle US territories
They ONLY have original jurisdiction, but most cases stop here.

15. Circuit Courts
Federal Courts

16. Courts Circuit Courts Circuit Courts of Appeal
The 94 district courts are organized into 12 regional Circuits of Appeal
These each only have appellate jurisdiction over the district courts
They do not hold trials – they only consider the briefs from the trial court
Briefs will also include legal arguments from the parties (or amicus curiae)
Sometimes there are oral arguments before the appeals judges

17. Courts Circuit Courts Circuit Courts of Appeal
An appeal is almost always heard by a panel of three judges randomly selected
Appeals to the Circuit Courts are always granted
DC has its own Circuit court that deals with appeals of agency decisions
Circuits may be appealing similar cases at the same time – if they disagree the issue will likely be decided by SCOTUS

18. Courts
Circuits

19. Bigly Ideas
Policy Makers

20. Courts Wrap Up State vs Federal Original/Appellate District Courts
Circuit Courts
Focus on these things: