Levels of the Federal Court System
Their responsibilities and types of jurisdiction
District Courts
- Hear and decide all federal cases, both criminal and civil, for the first time, giving them original jurisdiction
- Are the only federal courts with witnesses and juries
- All states have at least one district court
Courts of Appeals
- A lawyer can request an appeal, asking a court of appeals to review the case
- There are 12 of these courts, each covering a geographic area called a circuit
- There is also a 13th court of appeals that has nationwide jurisdiction, called the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- They don't decide cases, but rather review the case records and hear from both sides to determine if the trial was fair and protected the person's rights
- They hold appellate jurisdiction- the authority to hear a case appealed from a lower court
- They make one of three decisions and write an opinion explaining their legal reasoning behind it
- Uphold the original decision
- Reverse the original decision
- Send the case back to a lower court to be retried, called remanding the case
The Supreme Court
- Although most courts of appeals decisions are final, some cases are appealed to the Supreme Court
- The Supreme Court also reviews the case and makes a decision
- There are nine judges, or justices, in this court
Types of Jurisdiction
- All federal courts mostly have exclusive jurisdiction over eight types of cases, meaning only federal courts can hear and decide them.
- If the law in question applies to the US Constitution
- Cases involving violations of federal laws
- Any disagreement between state governments
- Lawsuits between citizens of different states
- If the US government sues someone or vice versa
- Disputes between a foreign government and the US government or an American private party
- Cases involving admiralty or maritime laws
- Cases involving US diplomats
- Sometimes jurisdiction over a case may be shared between the state and federal courts. This is called concurrent jurisdiction.