Federal Court System
How does it work?
This article will define different parts of the Federal Court System and explain what each part does, starting with a U.S. Marshall.
A U.S. Marshall is a police officer who can- Make arrests
- Collect Fines
- Take convicted people to prison
- Protects Jurors
- Keeps order in the court
- Serves Subpoenas
In the Courts, there are U.S. Attorneys. These people are government lawyers who prosecute people accused of breaking federal laws.
If you are convicted, you will be sent to the Magistrate judge, who determines if the accused person should be held in jail or released on bail. They also do the judges routine work and hear preliminary evidence to determine whether a case should be sent to trial.
While in the court, a judge set a precedent, which is a model for other judges to follow in marking their own decisions on similar cases.Judges can use these to end a trial quickly.
After the verdict, there is an Opinion, which explains the legal thinking behind the court's decision on the case. If the verdict is not in ones favor, they can send the case back to a lower court to be tried again, called a Remand.
The Supreme Court has Original Jurisdiction, which is the authority to hear a court case for the first time. Appellate Jurisdiction is the authority to hear a case appealed from a lower court. As a Justice, you have Life Terms, which is when someone can hold office for as long as they like.
All these people, functions, and abilities make up the Federal court system in the United States