Name: ____________________________
CHAPTER 3
COURT SYSTEMS
3-1 FORMS OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION
DISPUTE RESOLUTION

How can disputes be resolved without going to court?

_________________- Independent third party who tries to develop a non-binding solution
acceptable to both sides in a dispute.

_________________________

________________ - Independent third party who develops a binding and enforceable resolution to
a dispute.

How do courts settle disputes?

Award Damages or _________________________________

______________________– take your disputes to court
HOW DO COURTS SETTLE DISPUTES?

Court: ____________________________________________________________

Two levels of courts are involved in deciding a dispute

_____________ – court in which a dispute is first heard

______________ – reviews decisions of lower courts when a party claims an error was made during
the lower courts proceeding

Trial Court: __________, lawyers, clerks, sheriffs or marshals, bailiffs, and __________

Steps in Trial Court
 Judge
 __________________________


__________________________
Has _______________________ or the original power to decide the case because
they had initial contact with case
Name: ____________________________

Appellate Court:

Examine the ______________, which is a verbatim record of what went on at the
trial

They also read the ___________________, which are
_________________________________

The appellate court then decides one of four things (p. 50).
1. _____________-affirmed-trial court decision OK. No error
2. Reversed_____________
3. Amended – ______________
4. Remanded – sent back to the trial court for correction or a new trial

Concerned solely with _________________
3-2 FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
Article III, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution
The judicial Power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the
Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.
JURISDICTION OF THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
Judiciary Acts established:

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________
Types of Jurisdiction

___________________, a court with general jurisdiction can hear almost any kind of case

Special Jurisdiction, __________________________________________________________________
FEDERAL COURTS WITH GENERAL JURISDICTION
Name: ____________________________

_____________________________

Federal Courts of Appeals

_____________________________
FEDERAL DISTRICT COURTS

The Federal District Court is ______________________with ________________________

It is the ______________________ of the federal system.

It has the power to determine the facts and to make initial determinations of the law to use in
deciding the case.
FEDERAL COURTS OF APPEALS

The federal courts of appeals have appellate jurisdiction over the _______________,
______________________, and many federal administrative agencies.

There are ________ federal courts of appeal. __________ of these are circuit courts, each of which
is responsible for an assigned ___________________.

The thirteenth court is dedicated to the ____________________.
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT

The United States Supreme Court (USSC) has both ____________ and ____________ jurisdiction.

It has original jurisdiction over cases affecting _______________, other ______________ and
consuls and those in which ________________________.

__________________________ is exercised over cases on appeal from the U.S. Courts of Appeals
or from the highest courts of the various states.
FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM- REVIEW

How many levels of federal courts are there?


________________________________________
What is the function of the federal district court?

________________________________________________________________________________
Name: ____________________________

What is the highest federal appellate court?


Does the Supreme Court have original or appellate jurisdiction?


__________________________________________
____________
What is the most important function of the U.S. Supreme Court?

________________________________
3-3 A TYPICAL STATE COURT SYSTEM

___________________

___________________

___________________
Primary difference between the federal court system and a state court system?

The type of specialized courts found therein.

_________________ - Bankruptcy, court of international trade, tax court

__________________- Probate, juvenile, family, small claims

Both courts often deal with the same issues, so few issues can be considered exclusively state or
federal
STATE TRIAL COURTS

State courts have general original jurisdiction over both _____________and __________ matters.

States refer to trial courts as _____________, _______________, ________________, or courts of
common pleas.

Trial courts are the courts of record in the state system.

State trial courts also ____________________________________________________________

A ____________________keeps an exact account of what goes on at trial.
STATE COURTS OF APPEALS

An appeal from a court of record is typically reviewed by __________________ in a state court of
appeals.
Name: ____________________________

_____________________________ - it checks to be sure the correct law was used and properly
applied to resolve the case
STATE SUPREME COURT

In states with the intermediate level of courts of appeal, only cases that involve the most complex
legal issues are taken to the justices of the state supreme court.

_______________-is the title given to judges who sit on State Supreme Courts and the Federal
Supreme Court

State supreme courts issue the _________________________ on matters of law appealed to them.

If a U.S. Constitutional or other federal question of law is involved, a further appeal can go to the
U.S. Supreme Court.
STATE COURTS WITH SPECIALIZED JURISDICTIONS

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________
STATE COURTS WITH SPECIALIZED JURISDICTIONS


__________________________

Court that hears minor criminal cases, state traffic offenses, and lawsuits involving amount of
____________________________________________

_____________________________________
__________________________________


_____________________________


City court, usually divided into ____________________________________
State courts that handle disputes in which ______________________________________________
Juvenile courts
Name: ____________________________


Courts specifically created and given authority to try and pass judgments for crimes committed by
persons _________________________________________. In most modern legal systems, crimes
committed by children and minors are treated differently and differentially (unless severe, like
murder or gang-related offenses) regarding the same crimes committed by adults.
_______________________________________________________________
________________________

____________________________________