Federal Court System
U.S. District Court
U.S. District courts are federal courts where trials are held and lawsuits begin.
district courts have original jurisdiction where the authority hear the case for the first time. People who lose go to the U.S court of appeals. Appeals courts review decisions made in district courts. this is when the appellate jurisdiction hear a case appealed from a lower court. 12 U.S courts of appeals covers a particular area called a circuit. A case can be reversed by a remand. Appeals courts do not decide guilt or innocence or which side should win a suit. They rule only on whether the original trial was fair and protected the persons rights. Each district court has at least 2 judges. Each appeals court has 6 to 27 judges. The supreme court has 9 justices. Presidents appoint all federal judges, with senate approval; these judges serve for life. A judge can be removed only through impeachment.