Ch. 18 Notes –The Federal Court System
Mrs. Kilic
American Government
1. The court that first hears a case is said to have original jurisdiction.
2. The list of cases to be heard by a court is called a docket.
3. A typical criminal case that could be tried in a federal court is counterfeiting (making
illegal money).
4. A writ of certiorari calls a case up to the Supreme Court to be heard, but the court
grants “cert” in a very limited number of instances.
5. Facts about The Court of Federal Claims include the following: a) Congress almost
always appropriates money to satisfy upheld claims b) It hears trials involving claims for
damages against the Federal Government c) Judges for the Court are appointed by the
President and approved by the Senate.
6. One weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that it did not provide for a national
judiciary.
7. The U.S. Supreme Court exercises both original and appellate jurisdiction.
8. All federal judges are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
9. District courts have original jurisdiction over MOST cases heard in federal court.
10. The Supreme Court is called the “high court” because it is the last court in which
federal questions can be decided.
11. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit differs from the other 12 federal courts
of appeals because it hears cases from across the country.
12. The purposes of the 12 federal courts of appeals include: a) to relieve the work load of
the Supreme Court b) to hear appeals from the district courts c) to consider cases from
several regulatory agencies.
13. The term of office for constitutional court judges is determined by the Constitution.
14. The United States Magistrate performs several duties, including a) issuing arrest
warrants b) setting bail c) trying some cases concerning minor offenses.
15. The Supreme Court’s decision in Marbury v. Madison established the Court’s power of
judicial review.
16. Legal cases in the District of Columbia and the territories that belong to the United
States are settled in a separate system of courts for each territory and each district like
those of the State and Federal levels.
17. The difference between constitutional courts and special courts is that special courts
hear a much narrower range of cases than the constitutional courts.
18. A federal court has jurisdiction over a case if a) a citizen of one State is suing a citizen
from another state b) a State is suing a resident of another State c) a State is suing
another State.
19. The Most Important reason that the United States needed a national court system was
that each state was interpreting laws for itself.
20. Jurisdiction DIRECTLY limits which court may decide a case.
21. Marshals are the federal officers who make arrests, secure jurors, and serve legal
papers.
22. The federal district courts a) handle both civil and criminal cases b) have the right to
listen to appeals c) are the principal trial courts in the federal system.
23. When Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes said that the Constitution “means what the
judges say it means,” he was defining the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review.
24. Special Courts include the Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Tax Court, and the Court
of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
25. Judges of the constitutional courts are appointed for life.
26. The power of judicial review is held by most federal and State courts.
27. The federal courts can hear and decide cases on the basis of the subject matter or
people affected by the case.
28. Federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over all of the following types of cases: a)
the infringement of copyright b) a foreign government official c) a person accused of a
federal crime.
29. The MOST accurate reason that the Court of International Trade is classified as a
constitutional court rather than a special court is that it exercises the broad “judicial
power of the United States.”
30. The independence of the judicial branch is ensured by the a) manner in which federal
judges are chosen b) terms federal judges serve c) salaries of federal judges.