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Federal Court System
Certiorari A Latin word meaning “to
inform”, in the sense that the petition informs the Court of the request for review.
Structure of the Federal Courts
SupremeCourt
Court of Appeal
District Courts
Supreme Court Highest Court in the Federal
System
9 Justices, meeting in Washington, D.C.
Appeals Jurisdiction through Certiorari process
Court of Appeal AKA known as Circuit Courts
Intermediate level in the Federal System
12 regional “circuit” courts, including D.C. Circuit
No original jurisdiction; strictly appellate
District Courts Lowest level in the Federal System
94 judicial districts in 50 states & territories
No appellate Jurisdiction
Original Jurisdiction over most cases
District Courts Federal Level:
Split into District and Special Courts. District hears most cases
i.e. murder, involving different states, civil cases Special hears very specific cases
i.e. Tax cases, international trade
State Level: Split into District and Superior Courts
Superior hears more serious crimes and civil cases Also called General Trial Courts Has appellate jurisdiction over District Court decisions
District Courts hear misdemeanors and smaller civil cases
Jurisdiction of State & Federal Courts
Original Jurisdiction: Authority to hear a case first
Over cases involving violations of state
laws.
Appellate Jurisdiction: Authority to review the decisions of a court having original jurisdiction
Concurrent Jurisdiction: Both having authority to hear a case.
In some cases, federal courts have EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION: Only the Federal courts may hear the case.
Examples: Bankruptcy cases and cases involving suits against the U.S. Government.