1. Overview of US Legal System Federalism and 51 Legal Systems Overview of the Federal Court System Overview of State Court Systems

2. Overview of Federal Courts Article III & Judiciary Act of 1789 Federal Court Structure  Supreme Court  Circuit Courts  District Courts Precedent and Hierarchy in Federal Courts Influence of Workload on Lower Federal Courts

3. Article III Section 1. The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior… Section 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority… In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in which a state shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make.

10. State Court Systems Historical Development of State Court Systems State Judicial Structures  Trial Courts of Limited Jurisdiction  Trial Courts of General Jurisdiction  Intermediate Appellate Courts  Courts of Last Resort State Supreme Courts and Workload Demands

11. Historical Development of State Courts Colonial Courts Post Revolutionary State Courts Post-Civil War Growth and Fragmentation Court Unification Movement Widespread Workload Increases

13. Limited Jurisdiction General Jurisdiction Limited to minor civil and criminal cases Often limited to certain types of subject matter Qualification requirements of the judges can vary Often are not jury trials Handle more serious criminal and civil cases Geographic division Naming conventions vary Higher qualification requirements Typically use jury trials State Trial Courts