Transcript The Federal Court System

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The Federal
Court System
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Federal Jurisdiction
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Jurisdiction of the Courts
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Jurisdiction: the authority to hear certain cases
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State courts have jurisdiction over cases involving state laws
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Federal courts have jurisdiction over cases involving federal
laws
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Sometimes jurisdiction of state and federal courts can overlap
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Federal courts hear cases that involve United States laws, treaties
with foreign nations, and interpretations of the Constitution
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Federal courts may hear cases involving bankruptcy and
admiralty/maritime law
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Jurisdiction of the Courts
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Federal courts also hear cases if certain parties/persons are
involved:
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Ambassadors or other representatives of foreign governments
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Two or more state governments
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United States government or one of its offices
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Citizens of different states
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A state and a citizen of a different state
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Citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different
states
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A state or its citizens and a foreign country or its citizens
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Jurisdiction of the Courts
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Concurrent Jurisdiction: federal and state courts both have
jurisdiction
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Example: Case involving citizens of different states in a
dispute concerning at least $50,000
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A person may sue in federal or state court
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The person being sued can insist on the case being tried in a
federal court
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Jurisdiction of the Courts
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Trial Court has original jurisdiction
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Trial Court – court in which a case is originally heard
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Original Jurisdiction – authority of a trial court to be first to hear a
case
Appellate Jurisdiction – authority held by a court to hear a
case that is appealed from a lower court
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Types of Federal Law
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Types of Federal Law
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Statutory Law – a law that is written down so that everyone
might know and understand it
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Common Law – law made by judges in the process of
resolving individual cases
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Constitutional Law – law that involves the interpretation and
application of the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions
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Maritime Law – body of laws, conventions, and treaties that
governs international private business or other matters
involving ships, shipping, or crimes occurring on open water
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Types of Federal Law
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Administrative Law – law that spells out the authority,
procedures, rules, and regulations to be followed by
government agencies
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Criminal Law – one that defines crimes and provides for their
punishment
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Civil Law – one relating to disputes among two or more
individuals or between individuals and the government
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Constitutional Courts
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Constitutional Courts
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Courts established by Congress under Article III of the U.S.
Constitution
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Courts:
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Federal District Courts
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Federal Courts of Appeals
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Supreme Court of the United States
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United States Court of International Trade
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Federal District Courts
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Created in 1789 to serve as trial courts
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U.S. currently has 94 district courts
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Each state has at least one
Large states may have up to 4
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Trial courts for both criminal and civil federal cases
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Original jurisdiction
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Federal statutory law, Constitutional law, an some cases
between citizens of different states
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Hear 80% of federal cases a year
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Federal District Courts
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Two types of juries
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Grand Jury: 16-23 people; hears charges against someone
suspected of committing a crime; if the grand jury believes there
is enough evidence to bring the person to trial, then the jury
issues an indictment
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Indictment: formal accusation of charging a person with a crime
Petit Jury: 6-12 people; trial jury; weigh evidence presented in a
trial in a criminal or civil case
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Criminal Case: guilty or not guilty
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Civil Case: for the plaintiff or the defendant
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Federal Court of Appeals
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Created in 1891 to ease the appeals workload of the Supreme
Court
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13 U.S. Courts of Appeals
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12 judicial regions with 1 Court of Appeals per region
13th court: special appeals court with national jurisdiction
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Panel of three judges sits on each appeal; in a very important
case, all of the circuit judges may hear the case
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Appellate jurisdiction
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Appeals may come from district court decisions, U.S. Tax Court,
and territorial courts; the courts can also hear appeals on
rulings of regulatory agencies (examples: Federal Trade
Commission, Federal Communications Commission, et cetera)
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Federal Court of Appeals
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Three ways for an appellate court to rule:
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1. Uphold original decision
2. Reverse the decision
3. Send the case back to the lower court to be tried again
Unless appealed to the Supreme Court, the decision of the
appellate court is final
1982: Congress set up the United States Circuit Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit
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Hears cases from federal claims court, Court of International
Trade, the United States Patent Office, and other executive
agencies
Headquarters are in Washington, D.C. but it can sit in other parts
of the country as needed
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Supreme Court of the United States
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Supreme Court of the United States
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Top of the American legal system
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Supreme Court is equal with Congress and the president
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Last resort in all questions of federal law
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Not required to hear all cases presented to it – chooses cases
very carefully
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Final authority in all cases involving the Constitution, acts of
Congress, and treaties with other nations
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Supreme Court hears many appeals from lower courts –
Supreme Court decision is binding on all lower courts
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Supreme Court of the United States
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Original and appellate jurisdiction
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Original jurisdiction: cases involving representatives of a foreign
government and certain cases in which a state is a party
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Congress may not expand or curtail the Court’s original
jurisdiction
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Less than 5 original jurisdiction cases per year (on average) go
to the Supreme Court
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Appellate jurisdiction: appealed from lower appellate courts,
federal district courts where an act of Congress is held
unconstitutional, and cases appealed from the highest court of a
state if claims under federal law or the Constitution are involved
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Supreme Court of the United States
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9 justices
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1 Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices
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Congress sets the number of judges and has the power to
change it
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Supreme Court is located in Washington, D.C.
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Legislative Courts
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Legislative Courts
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Congress creates legislative courts under Article I of the
Constitution
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Legislative courts help Congress exercise its power
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Examples:
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Congress has power to tax  United States Tax Court
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Congress has power to regulate armed forces  Court of Military
Appeals
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Congress has duty to govern overseas territories (Guam, U.S.
Virgin Islands, et cetera)  Territorial Courts
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Congress supervises Washington, D.C.  court system for nation’s
capital
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Legislative Courts
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Court of International Trade: resolves trade disputes by
interpreting and applying customs and international trade laws;
original jurisdiction
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U.S. Federal Claims Court: handles claims against the United
States for money damages; original jurisdiction
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United States Tax Court: trial court hearing cases related to
federal taxes; people who disagree with decisions of the IRS or
other Treasury Department agencies take cases here
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces: appellate
jurisdiction; highest appeals court for the armed forces; hears
cases of members of the armed forces convicted of breaking
military law; “GI Supreme Court” decisions can be reviewed by
U.S. Supreme Court
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Legislative Courts
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Territorial Courts: system of courts in the territories of the
U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and Northern Mariana
Islands; similar to district courts in function, operation, and
jurisdiction; handle civil and criminal cases AND
Constitutional cases
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Court of the District of Columbia: federal district court and
court of appeals; various local courts handle civil and
criminal cases; created by Congress because Washington,
D.C. is a federal district not a state
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Court of Veterans’ Affairs: handles cases for unsettled claims
rom veterans (usually dealing with claims for benefits)
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Selection of Federal Judges
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Selection of Federal Judges
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Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution gives the president the
power to appoint federal judges
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Senate must confirm all federal appointments
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No qualifications listed in Constitution
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Life term – allows the judge to be free from political or public
pressure
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Presidential Appointment
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Party Affiliation: judges are not supposed to affiliate with any
political party outwardly; however, presidents look for judges
who are members of their own party
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Judicial Philosophy: presidents try to appoint judges who will
share their point of view; due to a life term, the president may
end up influencing court decisions for a long time after
he/she leaves office
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Senate Confirmation
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Senatorial Courtesy: president submits the name of a trial
court judge to the senators from the candidate’s state before
formally submitting the name to the entire Senate for
approval; if either senator opposes the candidate, the
president usually withdraws the name and finds a new
candidate
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Only for district and other trial courts; U.S. Court of Appeals
crosses multiple states and the Supreme Court is a national court
Confirmation Hearing and Vote: Senate committee questions
the nominee before making a recommendation; majority vote
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Terms of Office
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Life term
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Chief Justice: $255,500/year
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Associate Justices: $244,400/year
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Congress sets the salaries and may not reduce them