1. The Federal Court System
Structure
3 Tier Structure
1) U.S. District Courts- Trial Courts
- 94 judicial districts
- Each state has at least one.

2. U.S. Court of Appeals

3. The Federal Court System
U.S. Court of Appeals- (appellate court)
Circuit court of appeals
13 Judicial circuits
Review the record of lower court proceedings and determine if mistake has been made.

4. U.S. Court of Appeals

5. The Federal Court System
U.S. Supreme Court
Highest court in the U.S.
9 Justices
Nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate

6. The Federal Court System
Jurisdiction
The authority to decide a case.
Original Jurisdiction- court hears case for the first time.
Appellate Jurisdiction- appears in an appeals court.

7. The Federal Court System
When does the Fed. Gov’t have jurisdiction?
1) Federal Question-
- Constitution, treaties, or Federal law.
2) Diversity of Citizenship-
- Parties in lawsuit live in different states, or are foreign gov’t or citizen.
- Amounts in question is more than $75,000.
Remember-
Exclusive jurisdiction
Concurrent jurisdiction