The United States Courts: The Federal Court System

The federal courts have power to decide only those cases over which the Constitution gives them authority. These courts are located principally in the larger cities. Only carefully selected types of cases may be heard in the federal courts.

The manner in which the federal court system is organized has been up for debate ever since its' inception over 200 years ago. Where currently we always hear about arguments between the Democrats and Republicans, late in the 18th century the fight was between the anti-Federalists and the Federalists. The beginning of this fight is rooted in two landmark decisions, Article Three of the U.S. Constitution and the Judiciary Act of 1789.

The federal courts came about beginning in 1789 when Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789 (Neubauer & Fradella, 2008. pg. 65). However, there was a lot of controversy in regards to the act because advocates feared that a strong national government would weaken individual liberties and be a threat to the power of state courts (Neubauer & Fradella, 2008. pg. 65). The act even though federal, still had some ties to the state level courts. One of the first issues was the boundaries of the federal district courts would not encompass more than one state. The second was the selection process would ensure that federal judges would be residents of their districts and lastly, the lower federal courts would have limited jurisdiction (Neubauer &

In the United States, the legal system is an interconnected system of regulatory, governmental and judicial authorities that operate under the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States, various State and Local Constitutions and laws, and agreed upon standards. The overall system operates at the federal, state and local level through Federal Courts, State Courts, and Governmental Regulatory Agencies (Neubauer and Fradella, 2010). All of this is based on the Common Law Adversarial System of Jurisprudence, dating back to the Middle Ages.

Was Grove City College subject to federal requirements because its students received federal grants? Did the provisions of Title IX violate the First Amendments rights of the College?

The dual court system differentiates between the state and federal court systems. The federal court system was established in accordance with constitutional law, which allows Congress to ordain federal courts that are separate from and external to the Supreme Court but which also deal with federal legal matters. These separate federal courts are referred to as "inferior courts," in relation to their position in the hierarchy with the Supreme Court at the summit. Each of the inferior courts established by Congress has a specific and unique jurisdiction.

In 1789, each of the thirteen states had already establish a judicial system such as criminal and civil cases. The United States Constitution is the original document in which it established fundamental laws for the national government as well as protecting the right of the citizens. The U.S Constitution was designed to avoid too much power in the system of checks and balances. As years went by, the Constitution began to adapt to the modern changes. Subsequently, the judicial system began to full fill the U.S Constitution’s purpose. Both Federal and State have their own jurisdiction and functions as stated in the Constitution. However, in recent years the judicial system has been broken due to lack of structure in law on the book and law in action.

The three tiers of the American federal court system consists of the Supreme Court, District courts which are also referred to trial courts, Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court.

The courts play a huge role in the criminal justice system. The dual court system of the United States (U.S.) was established through the U.S. constitution. The court systems have a multiple purposes and elements of court. Federal and state court system is what makes up the dual court system of the U.S. Today the U.S. court system is what it is today because of previous legal codes, common law, and the precedent it played in the past. Making the U.S. court system a vital role in the criminal justice system..

“The court finds you guilty on all accounts. You are sentenced to 35 years in federal prison. Court dismissed.” If only justice in America was the same as a hollywood movie, where, in the end, each and every person put on trial receives a true and just verdict. It would be nice if America’s justice system was designed so that “you couldn’t be the next victim of corruption - innocent and sent to prison, or strapped to a table and put to death; or robbed of your life savings by American lawyers” (Sachs, America’s Corrupt Legal). Welcome to the new America, where all it takes is pockets as deep as the Pacific Ocean to be innocent and poverty to be found guilty, thrown in jail, and not given a second thought. Although America often prides itself on its just ways of governing and dealing with potential criminals, the justice system is often corrupted because of social issues, ethical issues, corrupt officials, and control of the press.

There are three women on the Supreme Court, one of whom is Latina, and there is one black justice serving on the Supreme Court (Brown, 2016). This is a major issue. The United States, the “melting pot”, has an extreme lack of diversity in their court system. This is an issue that affects several aspects of society. Decisions made by judges will affect the lives of men, women, and their families. The decisions made by judges can also create law. Unlike political officials, the people do not always have the power to vote judges into their positions. Instead, the people hope that their peers with the power to affect the system choose a candidate that will fight for them. Often times, this does not happen.

The United States court system is the institution were all the legal disputes in the american society are carryed out and resolved. However, one single court is not enough to resolve every single dispute in society and that is why the court system is made up of two different courts, the federal courts and the state courts. Moreover, the federal and state courts are made up of several divisions made to handle legal disputes differently depending on its seriousness. For example, the state court is made up of trial courts of limited jurisdiction and probate courts were cases and disputes originate and then move up to trial courts of general jurisdiction, intermediate apellate courts, and courts of last resort respectively depending on the case.In contrast, the federal court consists of district courts, territorial coutrs, tax court, court of international trade, claims court, court of veterans appeals, an courts of military review which then move on to courts of appeals respectively and may ultimately end up in the United States supreme court. In addition, cases from state court may also appeal into the federal court system but not the other way around.

There are many different reasons a person can find themselves in a court as the defendant.

Over the years, through all the radical events that have played out through the United States, the one program that has grown and learned from mistakes has been the United States Legal system. Ever since the original thirteen colonies became independent from the British Crown, the United States has had a legal system in place. While the United States grew, state by state, so have the regulations, policies, and laws that the legal system has created.

basic idea is that there are two sides, the plaintiff and the defendant. In a criminal case, the prosecutor acts as a plaintiff on behalf of the citizens or state. It is the judge’s duty to determine what the law is in relation to the particular case at hand. It is the jury’s duty to determine what the facts are in the case. The lawyers in the case are charged with representing their respective clients to the very best of their ability. The goal of this process is justice. In the United States, there are more than 51 different interpretations of this model. Each of the 50 states has its own rules and procedures. The federal courts also have their own rules. However, for the most part, they are all very similar.