Judicial Branch
Origin of Law
Case law: Court decisions that inform judicial ruling
Constitutional Law: Outline the structure of the
American government (or state)
Statutes: Laws made by the national or state
government
Jurisdiction
The authority to hear certain cases is called jurisdiction
the court.
– Concurrent Jurisdiction: When both federal and state courts
have jurisdiction.
– Appellate Jurisdiction: The power to review cases already
decided in lower court
– Limited Jurisdiction: The power to hear only certain kinds of
cases (tax cases)
Types of Courts
• Federal Courts
– Supreme Court & Inferior Federal courts)
– Established by Congress.
• State Courts
– Each state has it’s own courts system whose power
comes from state constitution and laws.
Federal Courts
The Federal Courts
• Three layers of authority in the federal court
system:
1. The Supreme Court
2. Thirteen Courts of Appeals and the Court of Appeals for
the Federal Circuit.
3. U.S. District Courts and Specialized Federal
Courts
District Courts
• 94 courts
• Lowest level of the federal judicial system
• Trial courts for both criminal/civil federal cases
• District Courts have original jurisdiction to hear cases
involving
– Constitutional Law
– Cases Involving citizens of different states
District
Courts
Appeals
• If a person who loses a case in a trial court wishes
to appeal a decision, they may take the case to a
court with appellate jurisdiction.
• Meaning a party may appeal a case from a district
court to a Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals
• 13 US Courts of Appeals
• Each covers a circuit: a geographic area containing se
district courts
• Appeals Court reviews the details of the case.
– DOESN’T HOLD TRIALS!
• If a mistake was found the case will be send back to t
court for a new trial
Court of
Appeals
District
Courts
Appeals
• Finally, those who are unhappy with the verdict
from a Court of Appeals, may appeal to the U.S.
Supreme Court
U.S. Supreme Court
• Highest court in the land
• Receives thousands of appeals every year but only
hears a small percentage of them
s
Supreme
Court
Court of
Appeals
District
Courts