Key Points:
I. Vocabulary
A. Jurisdiction – the authority of a court to hear and decide cases within an
area of the law or a geographical territory
B. Appeal – a review of lower court proceedings by a higher court
II. History of the federal court system
A. Article III of the U.S. Constitution established a federal court system.
B. The Congress created Article III on Sept. 24, 1789.
C. Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 which established 13 courts,
one for each of the original states.
D. Since 1789 there have been numerous Judiciary Acts passed that
continue to define the American Court System.
E. The Supreme Court originally had 6 justices.
III. Structure of the federal court system
A. The structure of the Federal Court System begins with the
Magistrate Courts and ends with the Supreme Court:
1. Supreme Court
2. Appellate Courts
3. Trial Courts
B. Magistrate Courts
1. Created by the Federal Magistrate’s Act of 1968
C. Trial Courts
1. Also known as U.S. District Courts
2. There are 95 U.S. District Courts covering the United States and its
Territories.
D. Court of Appeals
1. Also known as Appeals Court, Appellate Court, and Circuit Courts
2. There are 13 U.S. circuit courts and over 165 federal courts of
appeals judges.
3. The court does not conduct a jury trial, but is made up of a panel of
judges, usually 3.
E. U.S. Supreme Court
1. The highest court in the United States
2. It is made up of 9 justices.
3. A decision of the Supreme Court is final and cannot be overruled.
IV. Function of the federal court system
A. Magistrate Court
1. They try Class A Misdemeanors and petty offenses, along with
performing duties such as issuing warrants, arraignments, etc.
B. Trial Courts
1. These courts hear both criminal and civil cases, but the majority of
cases are civil.
C. Court of Appeals
1. The Appellate Courts hear appeals from the U.S. District Courts.
2. The defendant can appeal their case based on a claim that they were
denied a fair trial or the law they were convicted under was
unconstitutional.
3. The court is to determine:
a) If the district judge made a judicial error
b) If the error could have substantially affected the court’s decision
c) If the answer is “no” to both questions, the appeal is dismissed.
d) If the answer is “yes” to one of the above questions, the court will
review the appeal and issue a ruling.
D. U.S. Supreme Court
1. As a general rule, the court only agrees to decide on cases where
there is a split of opinion among the courts of appeals, or where there is
an important constitutional question or issue of federal law that needs to
be clarified.
2. The court decides which cases it will hear.
3. It is the legal mediator for lawsuits between states, and between the
United States and foreign countries.
4. It is the final authority for legal opinions binding on the federal
government.
5. Once the court makes a ruling, the lower courts have to fall in line
with that ruling.
6. The court must review cases when:
a) A federal court has held an act of Congress to be unconstitutional
b) A U.S. Court of Appeals has found a state statute to be
unconstitutional
c) A state’s highest court of appeals has ruled a federal law to be
unconstitutional
d) An individual’s challenge to a state statute on federal constitutional
grounds is upheld by a state’s highest court of appeals
V. History of the state court system
A. The Texas Supreme Court was established in 1836 after the Texas
Revolution.
B. In 1845 the Supreme Court was restructured, and in 1850 the offices
of the Supreme Court were filled by elections.
C. In 1876 the Court of Appeals was created to deal with criminal cases,
to relieve the case load of the Supreme Court. It was later renamed the
Court of Criminal Appeals.
D. In 1980 previously established courts, the Courts of Civil Appeals,
were renamed Courts of Appeals and designed to relieve the Court of
Criminal Appeals’ caseload.
VI. Structure of the state court system
A. The structure of the state court system began with the Justice or
Municipal Courts and ended with the Texas Supreme Court or the Court
of Criminal Appeals:
1. Texas Supreme Court or Court of Criminal Appeals
2. Courts of Appeals
3. District Courts
4. County Courts
5. Justice Courts or Municipal Courts
B. Justice or Municipal Courts
1. 821 Justice Courts
a) 821 Judges
2. 913 Municipal Courts
a) 1,458 Judges
C. County Courts
1. 499 Courts
a) 254 Constitutional County Courts
b) 227 Statutory County Courts
c) 18 Statutory Probate Courts
D. District Courts
1. 449 Courts
2. 449 Judges
3. 352 districts cover one county
4. 97 districts cover more than one county
E. Courts of Appeals
1. 14 Courts
2. 80 Justices
F. Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals
1. Both courts have only 9 justices.
VII. Function of the state court system
A. Justice Courts
1. These courts handle crimes that are punishable by fine only.
2. These courts can also handle civil issues such as issuing marriage
licenses and settling small claims suits.
B. Municipal Courts
1. These courts handle crimes that are punishable by fine only.
C. County Courts
1. Constitutional County Courts
a) Have appellate jurisdiction over the justice and municipal courts
b) Preside over Class A and Class B Misdemeanors
c) Deal with civil trials involving “moderate” amounts of money
2. Statutory County Courts and Statutory Probate Courts
a) These courts deal with civil matters.
D. District Courts
1. The judges must be licensed attorneys.
2. They have original jurisdiction over felony cases.
3. Deal in civil disputes between $200-$500 and cases dealing with
divorce, title to land, and contested elections
E. Courts of Appeals
1. These courts have intermediate appellate jurisdiction in criminal and civil
cases.
F. Texas Supreme Court and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
1. Texas Supreme Court
a) Has final appellate jurisdiction in civil cases
b) Responsible for licensing attorneys, and attorney discipline
2. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
a) Has final appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases