FEDERAL COURTS & STATE COURTS
Today’s Objective: Compare federal and state court systems.
 Identify the types of courts at each level of government.
 Examine the courts’ differing jurisdictions.
 Compare the types of cases heard by each court.
Federal Courts
Federal courts hear cases that:
 Involve ____________________ ____________________, which means they are
cases that fall under ____________________ ____________________
 Cases involving citizens from ____________________ ____________________ or
from another ____________________
JURISDICTION!
Definition:
Examples of Federal Jurisdiction
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3 Tiers of Federal Courts
U.S. District Courts are…
There are __________ districts throughout the United States. Each state has at
least one district court, but larger states may have as many as four.
Original jurisdiction is:
The judge decides questions of the ____________________ while the jury decides
questions of the ____________________.
An appeal is:
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are…
 The U.S. is divided into __________ judicial circuits, each with one appellate
court.
 Circuit Court of Appeals have a ____________________ panel with no
____________________, no ____________________, and no ____________________.
 Appellate courts only determine whether the lower court correctly applied
the __________ in the case.
The Supreme Court is…
Cases are heard by the ______________________________ and __________ justices.
 Appointed by the ____________________
 Confirmed by ____________________
 Serve a __________ term
Of approximately 7,000 appeals each year, the Supreme Court may accept
____________________ cases. At least _____ justices must agree to hear a case.
TIERS OF
FEDERAL
COURTS
Special Federal Courts
 ______________________________: handles cases involving suits against the
government
 ______________________________: attached to each district court; handle
cases arising under the Bankruptcy Code
 ______________________________: final appellate court for cases arising
under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
 ______________________________: handles cases arising over alleged tax
deficiencies
State Courts
Each state has its own court system set up differently… no two systems are
exactly alike. But, the general pattern stays the same.
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-informed/federal-court-basics/comparingstate-federal-courts.aspx
Using the links on the left side of the page, navigate to the Comparing Federal &
State Courts section. Browse the information provided to answer the following.
How are state court systems established?
How are state court judges selected?