1. Chapter 8: Judicial Branch Federal Court System
May 4, 2017

2. Judicial branch consists of federal courts
Justice system in U.S. under Article III
Goal of the legal system: treat everyone the same
If accused of a crime:
Right to public trial/ lawyer
If you cannot afford lawyer, one will be assigned to you
Presumed innocent until proven guilty
Appeal if you believe mistake made
Federal Court System
Supreme Court
Appeals Court
District Courts
State Court System: 50 state courts
Jurisdiction: authority to hear/ decide case
Federal courts can only hear cases that involve:
The Constitution
Freedom of Speech; 2nd amendment; etc.
No justice system under articles of confederation

3. Federal Laws
Kidnap; tax evasion; etc.
3. Dispute between states
New York and New Jersey (Ellis Island)
Missouri & Illinois (dump waste in Mississippi River)
Citizens from different states
Federal government
Gov’t can sue a company
You can sue the gov’t
Foreign Gov’t
Anything involving another country
7. Maritime Laws
Anything involving crimes/ accidents outside of territorial water (ex: shipwreck)
U.S. Diplomat
Ambassador breaks law in another country

4. Court Process May 8, 2017

5. Exclusive Jurisdiction: Only federal courts can hear
Concurrent Jurisdiction: EITHER federal and state courts could hear
Stages of the U.S. Court System
All cases start at DISTRICT COURT
Lowest level of judicial system
District Court: federal court where trials occur & lawsuits BEGIN
94 District Courts
Every state has at least 1 district court
District courts have ORIGINAL JURISDICTION
AUTHORITY TO HEAR CASES FIRST

6. If you don’t agree with verdict of district court… Appeals Court
DISTRICT COURTS are the only courts where witnesses testify & juries listen
If you don’t agree with verdict of district court…
Appeals Court
JOB: Review decisions made in lower district courts
Appellate jurisdiction: authority of court to hear case appealed from lower court
Reasons to appeal
Wrong procedure/ Unfair
New evidence
12 U.S. Courts of Appeals
Court of Appeals (Washington D.C.)
Nationwide jurisdiction
Appeal federal laws (taxes; trade laws; etc.)
No trials
Panel of 3 or more judges review case
Majority vote makes decision
Rule whether rights have been protected/ fair trial
Court of appeals in PA: Philadelphia
PA has 67 district courts (Luzerne county courthouse is district 11)

7. What does EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION mean?
What does CONCURRENT JURISDICTION mean?
All court cases start WHERE?
Give one example of a case that only federal courts could hear.
TRUE or FALSE: Trials are held in an APPEALS court.
What does PRECEDENT mean?