In the United States, there are two coexisting judicial systems, the state and federal systems. In the state system, there are city, county and state trial courts. These courts are the lowest level of the state legal system. The lower level courts handle civil cases that involve small amounts of money and criminal cases that are usually misdemeanors. Large cities usually have specialized courts. One court may handle only family problems, while another may handle city violations or safety regulations.
Above the trial courts in the judicial pyramid are the appellate courts. It is in these courts that lower court decisions may be appealed. In the appellate courts, there are always an uneven number of judges, and decisions made are based on a majority vote. The appellate court has the power to send a case back for retrial, make changes in a decision, set aside, reverse, or uphold a decision. An appeal of a decision made in the appellate court would go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Federal Court System was developed after the birth of the Constitution. The Constitution of The United States and federal laws supersede any law made at the state level. It is the job of the federal courts to interpret the Constitution as well as laws passed by Congress.
At the base of the federal system, are ninety-seven federal district courts. Each state has at least one of these courts, while other states have several. The next level of the pyramid contains ten Courts of Appeal. These courts are located in judicial districts which are made up of several states. One of these courts is also located in Washington, D.C. The highest court in the land is the Supreme Court of the United States.
As in the state system, one may appeal a lower court decision to a higher court. The appellate court decides which cases it will hear. Yearly, the U.S. Supreme Court is asked to review several thousand cases. Because of the staggering numbers, the court usually selects approximately one out of ten cases. These are the cases the Court feels are most important and require an interpretation of federal law or the Constitution itself. The decisions made in these cases affect the entire nation.
