The Organization of
the Federal Courts
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PowerPoint Review of the Judicial Branch
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Although the Judicial
Branch was set up under
Article Three of the
Constitution, there were
very few structures put into
place within the document.
The Supreme Court was the
only clearly defined court
for the federal government.
Therefore, the First
Congress was charged with
the task of filling in the
details. The Judiciary Act
created all of the district
courts and courts of appeal
in the United States.
The Judiciary Act of 1789
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There are ninety-four (94) district
courts scattered across the United
States of America.
Together, they handle close to 300,000
cases per year.
Every state has it’s own Federal
District Court – even tiny little
Wyoming with it’s 600,000 residents.
Some more populous states have as
many as four (4) district courts to
handle the large number of suits.
The District Courts
The Courts of Appeals
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12
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The Courts of Appeals, or Circuit Courts, are
twelve in number – the DC Circuit Court was
not clearly labeled on the map below.
There is also a thirteenth court – the Court of
Appeals for the Federal Court – which handles
special cases and has a unique jurisdiction.
The Courts of Appeals
The Circuit Courts
 The thirteenth Court of
Appeals has appellate
jurisdiction over cases
appealed from certain
special federal courts and
agencies.
 Some of the issues include
patent law or highly
technical cases which
require unique expertise on
the part of the judges.
The Court of Appeals for
the Federal Circuit
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There are three (3)
judges who make
decisions.
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The judges do not
consider evidence.
There is not a jury or
any witnesses to
cross-examine.
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The only concern of
the Appeals Court is
to determine
whether or not
justice was served in
the case.
The Structure of the Court
of Appeals
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The judges will decide either – (a) to affirm the
lower court’s decision; in essence, to agree with
their ruling, or (b) to reverse the ruling.
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The Court of Appeals is not at all concerned
with the guilt of innocence of the accused.
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The Court of Appeals rules on whether the
original trial was fair and whether or not the
lower courts interpreted the law correctly.
The Duty of the Circuit Court
 The State of Virginia is located
within the Fourth Circuit, along
with Maryland, West Virginia,
North Carolina, and South
Carolina.
 The Fourth Circuit is one of the
busiest courts in the nation.
 Recently a controversy erupted
between President Obama and
the Congress when
Congressional leaders refused to
approve three appointments of
the President to the Court.
The Fourth (4th) Circuit
The Ninth Circuit covers
the Western portion of the
United States, including the
nations most populous
state (California) and the
two non-contiguous states:
Alaska and Hawaii. It also
includes territories of the
United States like Guam
and American Samoa.
The Ninth (9th) Circuit
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The First, Second, and
Third Circuit Courts are
all relatively small in
terms of geography, but
they are extremely
populous. The First
Court includes the
metropolitan area
surrounding Boston; the
Second includes the
metro area around New
York City, and the Third
includes Philadelphia’s
metro area – along with
all of New Jersey!
The Circuit Courts –
Populations and Circuits
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The major purpose
of the Supreme
Court is to serve as
the final court of
appeals for both
the state and the
federal court
systems. A
Supreme Court
ruling cannot be
appealed; their
decisions are final!
The Supreme Court
The Supreme
Court claims
original
jurisdiction in
very few cases,
indeed. But the
kinds of cases
they have
original
jurisdiction over
are these…
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Cases involving representatives of
foreign governments.
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Cases involving disputes between state
governments.
Original Jurisdiction of
the Supreme Court
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A judges role in government is to be impartial.
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A judge should not favor one party or the other
– although many are Republicans or
Democrats.
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Judges apply the law to specific cases and in
doing so help to define and clarify the purpose
and intention of the law.
Federal Court Judges
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All federal judges,
including the justices
of the Supreme Court,
are appointed by the
President and must be
confirmed by the
Senate.
Judges serve for life
during times of good
behavior.
Judges may only be
removed from office
by the impeachment
process.
During the Obama Administration, members of the Senate obstructed the President
from appointing judges to the Fourth Circuit. As a result, the workload of the judges
and the progress – or speed – of the Circuit was slowed down considerably. Recently
the Senate and the President were able to resolve their differences and three judges
appointed by Obama were confirmed by the United States Senate.
Selecting Federal Judges