CHAPTER 3
Court Systems
3-1
3-2
3-3
Forms of Dispute Resolution
The Federal Court System
State Court Systems
LAW for Business and Personal Use
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
3-1
Forms of Dispute Resolution
 GOALS
 Explain how disputes can be settled without going
to court
 Name the different levels of courts and describe
their jurisdictions and powers
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 2
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
 How can disputes be resolved without going
to court?
 How do courts settle disputes?
 Trial courts
 Appellate courts
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 3
CHECKPOINT

 What are the two levels of courts, and what
is the function of each?
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 4
3-2
The Federal Court System
 GOALS
 Identify the source of power of the federal courts
 Name the major federal courts and describe their
jurisdictions and powers
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 5
ORIGIN OF THE FEDERAL COURT
SYSTEM
 Judiciary Acts established:




U.S. Supreme Court
13 district courts
Federal Courts of Appeal
Specialized courts
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 6
CHECKPOINT

 Why was it left to the discretion of Congress
to establish a Supreme Court and other
inferior courts?
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 7
JURISDICTION OF THE FEDERAL
COURTS
 Federal District Courts
 Federal Courts of Appeals
 United States Supreme Court
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 8
FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 9
CHECKPOINT

 Name the three levels of federal courts and
describe the jurisdiction of each.
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 10
3-3
State Court Systems
 GOALS
 Compare the structure of a typical state court
system with the structure of the federal courts
 Explain the jurisdictions of the specialized courts
in a typical state system
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 11
A TYPICAL STATE COURT
SYSTEM
 State trial courts
 State courts of appeals
 State supreme courts
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 12
A TYPICAL STATE COURT SYSTEM
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 13
CHECKPOINT

 What does a typical state court system have
in common with the federal court system?
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 14
STATE COURTS WITH
SPECIALIZED JURISDICTIONS





Associate circuit courts
City or municipal courts
Small claims courts
Juvenile courts
Probate courts
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 15
CHECKPOINT

 Name the typical state courts that have
specialized jurisdiction.
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 16
PREVENT
LEGAL
DIFFICULTIES
 Be prepared . . .
 To avoid expensive litigation should a dispute
develop, when you enter a contract include a
provision requiring the use of a mediator or an
arbitrator.
 To be sure of the rules and costs of any litigation
that might develop under a legal document you
sign, specify the jurisdiction in which such
disputes must be resolved.
Continued on the next slide
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 17
PREVENT
LEGAL
DIFFICULTIES
 Know the facts about your state’s juvenile court
system especially with respect to ages, rights,
and sentencing options.
 Have your parents see an attorney to make out a
will and utilize other methods to avoid the
expenses of probate.
LAW for Business and Personal Use
Chapter 3
© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
SLIDE 18