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Federal Courts -US Court system is three tiered -District Courts -Appeals Courts -Supreme Court -Jurisdiction -ExclusiveàOnly federal court can hear a case -ConcurrentàFederal and/or state courts -OriginalàFirst to hear case -AppellateàCourt that listens to appeal -Judges -President nominates judges; Senate approves -Very political -Serve for LIFE except special court judges -Can be impeached (13 times)
District Courts -“Inferior court” -94 district courts -650+ judges -Hear about 300,000 cases per year -US has 89 districts -DC, Guam, PR, USVI, Northern Mariana Islands -Some courts have more judges than others -Have original jurisdiction -Hear criminal cases (federal crimes) -Hear civil cases (civil rights, federal contract disputes)
Court of Appeals -13 Courts of Appeals -US divided into 11 (plus DC and Federal Circuit) -Approximately 180 judges -Hear cases in groups of 3 -Appellate jurisdiction -Hear over 55,000 cases per year
Supreme Court -Original jurisdiction when: -State is involved -Ambassador involved -Any other case the SC wants to hear -Appellate jurisdiction when: -Appealed state supreme court decision -Appealed appeals court decision -Thousands of cases appealed to SC -Only a few hundred are accepted -Most decided w/o hearing -Work from October through June -Members: -John Roberts (Chief Justice) -John Paul Stevens -Antonin Scalia -Anthony Kennedy -David Souter -Clarence Thomas -Ruth Bader Ginsberg -Stephen Breyer -Samuel Alito
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