Federal Court System - Essay Example

Federal Court System Supreme Court has the highest ity in American criminal justice system or federal judiciary. Below Supreme Court, two levels of federal courts are functioning; trail courts or district courts and appellate courts. The nine member Supreme Court judges’ panel consists of a Chief Justice and eight other justices. Supreme Court normally functions based on the guidelines, passed by the Congress. Under normal circumstances, Supreme Court hears cases which were unresolved in trail courts, appellate courts and state courts.

Most of the cases appear in the Supreme Court usually involve important questions about the Constitution or federal law.“Within limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the district courts or trail courts have jurisdiction to hear nearly all categories of federal cases, including both civil and criminal matters”(Federal Court Structure, n. d.). For convenience, America is divided into 94 federal judicial districts and at least one federal judicial district is operating in each state. Bigger states may have more than one federal judicial district whereas the smaller states may have only one federal judicial district.

Even though trial courts are normally operating on district-wise, two special trail courts such as The Court of International Trade and The United States Court of Federal Claims, operate nationally. Appellate courts are operating regionally. The 94 judicial districts are arranged in 12 regions and each region consists of an Appellate court. Appellate courts normally hear the unresolved cases in judicial districts under its jurisdiction. Appeals from federal agencies will also be heard in appellate courts.

“In addition, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals in specialized cases, such as those involving patent laws and cases decided by the Court of International Trade and the Court of Federal Claims” (Federal Court Structure, n. d.).References Federal Court Structure, (N.d.). Retrieved from http://www.uscourts.gov/federalcourts/understandingthefederalcourts/FederalCourtsStructure.aspx