United States federal courts

From Judgepedia

The United States federal courts are the system of courts organized under the Constitution and laws of the federal government of the United States. See also federal judge.

Categories

The courts are a branch of government, and include:

• General jurisdiction courts:
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States courts of appeals (except the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit)
  • United States district courts

• Courts of specific subject-matter jurisdiction:
  • United States bankruptcy courts
  • United States Tax Court
  • United States Court of Private Land Claims (1891-1904)
  • United States Court of International Trade
  • United States Court of Federal Claims
  • United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

Levels of U.S. federal courts

The United States district courts are the general federal trial courts, although in many cases Congress has passed statutes which divert original jurisdiction to the above-mentioned specialized courts or to administrative law judges (ALJs). In such cases, the district courts have jurisdiction to hear appeals from such lower bodies.

The United States courts of appeals are the federal intermediate appellate courts. They operate under a system of mandatory review which means they must hear all appeals from the lower courts.

The Supreme Court of the United States is the supreme court (court of last resort). It generally operates under discretionary review, meaning that it can pick and choose cases (through grants of writ of certiorari) and hear only the non-frivolous appeals that present truly novel issues. In a few unusual situations (like lawsuits between state governments or some cases between the federal government and a state) it sits as a court of original jurisdiction. Such matters are generally referred to a designated individual (usually a sitting or retired judge or well-respected attorney) to sit as a special master and report to the Court with recommendations.

External links

• The Federal Judiciary (official U.S. government site)
• Federal Court Concepts, Georgia Tech
• Federal District Court Case Filings
• Creating the Federal Judicial System (PDF)
• History of the Courts of the Federal Judiciary

--- Portions of this article have been taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Copyright Notice here.