1. The Dual Court System
Chapter 2.1
Federal & State Court Systems

2. Terms to Know
Jurisdiction - power & authority given to a court to hear a case and to make a judgement.
Original Jurisdiction - power given to district courts to try a case before it goes to federal court.
Appellate Jurisdiction - any party to a suit decided in a federal district court may appeal to the next highest court in the circuit where the case was tried.
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3. The Federal Court System
Supreme Court - highest court
Appellate Court - middle court; also called intermediate courts
District Court - lowest court; where trials begin.
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There are 13 Circuits in the U.S. each with several District courts and 1 Appellate court
All cases begin in the District Court.

4. The Federal Court System
Supreme Court - highest court
Supreme Court has original jurisdiction in cases involving ambassadors, consuls, other public ministers and cases in which a state is a party.
Appellate jurisdiction is it’s main function.
Court must hear all cases involving the constitutionality of a federal law.
The Court decides by a vote of at least 4 of 9 judges which additional cases it will hear from the U.S. court of appeals or state supreme courts.
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5. The Federal Court System
Appellate Court - middle court; also called intermediate courts
Only a question of law is raised.
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If a case is appealed it goes to the appellate court.
There is no jury, witnesses or evidence presented in an appeal case.
Appellate courts only determine whether the lower court correctly applied the law in the circumstances.

6. The Federal Court System
Special U.S. Courts
Congress has established several special federal courts.
They have special jurisdiction in certain kinds of cases.
Ex: Disagreements on imported good taxation
Ex: Cases involving citizens against the U.S. government
Ex: Disputes with the IRS
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2.1

7. The State Court System
Each state can have its own court system but the following is a general pattern:
Chapter
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Supreme Courts
Intermediate Appellate Courts
Juvenile Courts
Domestic Relations Courts
Special Courts
General Trial Courts
Local Trial Courts
STATE COURT SYSTEM

8. The State Court System Intermediate Appellate Courts
Hear cases of appeal from courts of general jurisdiction
Similar to U.S. Appellate Court
Chapter
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State Supreme Courts
Cases can go on to U.S. Supreme Court
Similar to U.S. Supreme Court

9. The State Court System Local Trial Courts
Limited Jurisdiction - courts that have limited power
Chapter
2.1
Handle minor matters
Misdemeanors
Civil actions involving small amounts of $
Petty crimes
Includes:
Traffic court
Police Court

10. The State Court System General Trial Courts
General Jurisdiction - courts that have general power and handle most cases
Chapter
2.1
Also called:
County Court
Superior Court
Court of Common pleas
Circuit Court
Handle:
Criminal cases
Civil cases

11. The State Court System Special State Courts 2.1
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Domestic Relations Courts
Handle divorce, annulment and dissolution proceedings.
Handle distribution of property at the end of a marriage
Alimony & Child support

12. The State Court System Special State Courts Juvenile Courts
Jurisdiction over delinquent, unruly, abused or neglected children up to a certain age.
Procedures are less formal
Juveniles do not have a right to trial by jury but proof beyond reasonable doubt must still exist to convict a juvenile.
Chapter
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Delinquent child - a minor who has committed an adult crime.
Unruly Child - a minor who has done something inappropriate (violate curfew).
Neglected/Abusted Child - homeless, destitute or without adequate parental care