Business Law Chapter 4
LESSON 4-2
Federal Court System
GOALS
Identify the source of power of the federal courts
Name the various levels of federal courts and describe their jurisdictions
ORIGINS OF OUR
FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
• Federal courts received their power from the
Constitution.
• Article III - The Constitution granted
Congress the power to establish inferior courts, as needed, to the U.S. Supreme
Court.
• also confers the power to judge certain criminal and civil matters in federal courts
FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
State
Supreme
Courts
United States
Supreme Court
13 United States Courts of
Appeals
(12 Circuit Courts)
(1 Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit)
United States
District
Courts
Specialized
Federal
Courts
Many Federal
Agencies
JURISDICTION OF THE FEDERAL
COURTS
• 3 Levels of Federal courts have general
jurisdiction – can hear almost any kind of case
– Federal District Courts
– Federal Courts of Appeals
– U.S. Supreme Court
• Special jurisdiction – hears only one specific type of case
JURISDICTION OF
THE FEDERAL COURTS
• Federal District Courts
– Lowest level of federal court with general jurisdiction
– Trial court of the federal system
– Original jurisdictions over:
• Federal questions that arise under the
Constitution
• Lawsuits between cities of different states, between a U.S. citizen and a foreign nation, or between a U.S. citizen and a citizen of a foreign nation ($75,000 + )
FEDERAL COURTS OF APPEALS
• Appellate jurisdiction over:
– District courts
– Federal administrative agencies
• No appellate court, not even the USSC, can change the factual determinations of a jury
FEDERAL COURTS OF APPEALS
(cont’d)
• 13 Federal courts of appeal
– 12 are circuit courts – responsible for an assigned geographic area
– 13 th is dedicated to the “federal circuit”
• Handles patent cases appealed out of the district court
• Handles appeals from federal courts with special jurisdiction
U.S. SUPREME COURT
• Both original and appellate jurisdiction
– Original jurisdiction handles:
• Cases affecting ambassadors
• Public ministers and consuls
• Most important is it’s exercise of appellate jurisdiction
– Cases on appeals from the U.S. Court of
Appeals
– Highest courts of the various states.
U.S. SUPREME COURT (cont’d)
• Writ of certiorari – compels the state court to turn over the record of the case to the
Supreme Court for review
• Jurisdiction over state supreme court cases is limited
– Federal question must arise based on a federal law or on the U.S. Constitution
• Decisions made by the USSC are final and can only be overturned by the USSC or by an amendment to the Constitution
