Federal Court System
How our country's court system is arranged.
The District Court.
The district court is the state level of Federal Court. All cases are to start at this level. The district court has original jurisdiction, meaning that they have the authority to listen to the case first.
Officials in Federal Court.
Magistrate Judges - do most of the judge's work and decide whether a case should go to trial
US Attorneys - represent the states in a government involved case
US Marshal - makes the arrests, collect fines, and take convicted people to prison
Court of Appeals.
Appeals is the US level of courts in the federal court system. This level has appellate jurisdiction, which means they are to hear a case appealed from a lower court. The cases that come to this level are based on decisions made at the lower level. The 12 US courts of appeals cover a geographic area called the circuit. The judge in the appeals can either uphold a sentence, overturn it, or remand it. The judge will write an opinion on the matter, and then it will set a precedent to make a model for other judges.