Jurisdiction: Federal Court vs.
State Court Systems
Court Systems and Practices
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Outline of the Federal Court System
• Magistrate Courts
• Trial Courts
– US District Courts
– US Bankruptcy Courts
– US Court of International Trade
– US Court of Federal Claims
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Outline of the Federal Court System
(continued)
• Appellate Courts
– US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
– Circuit Court of Appeals
• US Supreme Court
• Other Federal Tribunals
– US Tax Courts
– Court of Veteran Appeals
– Military Courts
– Federal Administrative Agencies and Boards
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Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts
• Magistrate Court – limited jurisdiction
• Trial Courts
– US District Courts
• General trial jurisdiction
• Both criminal and civil
– US Bankruptcy Courts – limited and exclusive
jurisdiction
– US Court of International Trade – specialized
jurisdiction
– US Court of Federal Claims – specialized jurisdiction
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Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts
(continued)
• US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
– Intermediate appellate jurisdiction
– Reviews appeals from specialized courts
• Court of International Trade
• US Court of Federal Claims
• Nationwide geographical jurisdiction
• Circuit Court of Appeals
– Intermediate appellate jurisdiction
– Reviews appeals from US District Courts
• Circuit determined by geographic location of lower federal
court
• 12 Regional Circuits
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Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts
(continued)
• US Supreme Court
– Court of last resort in the US
– Appellate jurisdiction over cases that deal with the
Constitution or federal law
– US Supreme Court has discretion regarding which
cases it will review
– Cases usually begin in state court or federal court
– Original and exclusive jurisdiction over:
• Proceedings against ambassadors or public ministers of
foreign states; and
• All controversies between two or more states
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Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts
(continued)
• Other Federal Tribunals
– Military Courts
– Court of Veteran Appeals
– US Tax Court
– Federal Administrative Agencies and Boards
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Outline of the State Court System
(Texas)
• Justice of the Peace or Municipal Courts
• County Courts
– Constitutional County Courts
– Statutory County Courts at Law
– Statutory Probate Courts
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•
District Courts
Courts of Appeals
Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals
Other state tribunals
– State Office of Administrative Hearings
– State Agencies and Boards
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Jurisdiction of the State Courts (Texas)
• Justice Courts
– Limited jurisdiction
– Original jurisdiction in Class C misdemeanor
criminal cases that are punishable by fine only
– Civil matters not more than $10,000
– Evictions (Landlord/Tenant law)
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Jurisdiction of the State Courts (Texas)
(continued)
• Municipal Courts
– Limited jurisdiction
– Misdemeanors with fines less than $200
– Exclusive original jurisdiction over municipal
ordinance violations
– Limited civil jurisdiction
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Jurisdiction of the State Courts (Texas)
(continued)
• County Courts
– Limited jurisdiction
– Constitutional County Courts
• Have appellate jurisdiction over the justice courts,
municipal courts, and administrative hearings
• Preside over Class A and Class B Misdemeanors
• Original jurisdiction in civil cases from $200 to $10,000
• Concurrent jurisdiction with justice of the peace and
district courts in civil cases in which the amount in
controversy is small
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Jurisdiction of the State Courts (Texas)
(continued)
• County Courts (continued)
– County Court at Law
• Created by Legislature to aid the single constitutional county
court
• Legal jurisdiction varies
• Original, appellate, and concurrent jurisdiction are the same
as Constitutional County Court
– Statutory Probate Courts
• Original and exclusive jurisdiction over their counties'
probate matters, guardianship cases, and mental health
commitments
• Legislature grants authority to certain county courts
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Jurisdiction of the State Courts (Texas)
(continued)
• District Courts
– General and Special Jurisdiction
– Original jurisdiction
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All felony criminal cases
Divorce cases
Title to land cases
Contested election cases
Civil matters of $200 or more
– Juvenile matters
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Jurisdiction of the State Courts (Texas)
(continued)
• Courts of Appeals
– Intermediate appellate jurisdiction
– Both criminal and civil cases
• State of Texas Highest Appellate Courts
– Texas Supreme Court
• Final appellate jurisdiction in civil cases
• Final appellate jurisdiction in juvenile cases
– Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
• Final appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases
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Resources
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Prentice Hall, Criminal Courts: Structure, Process, and Issues (2nd Edition), 2007,
Dean John Champion, Richard D. Hartley, & Gary A. Rabe.
http://www.courts.state.tx.us/
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-informed/federal-courtbasics/structure-federal-courts.aspx
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-informed/federal-courtbasics/understanding-federal-courts.aspx
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-informed/federal-courtbasics/cases-federal-state-courts.aspx
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/get-informed/federal-courtbasics/comparing-state-federal-courts.aspx
http://www.courts.state.tx.us/pubs/court-overview.pdf
http://www.courts.state.tx.us/pubs/AR2010/jud_branch/2a-subject-matterjurisdiction-of-courts.pdf
Outline of the US Legal System, Bureau of International Information Programs,
United States Department of State, 2004,
http://www.america.gov/media/pdf/books/legalotln.pdf
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