CHKPT: RESPONSIBILITIES OF COURTS 1

Responsibilities of State and Federal Courts

Tanesha Brenno

6/5/10

Monty Mathis
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There are three main court levels but many for each. Each court system has their own duties to
carry out and if they are not fulfilled or fulfilled correctly the whole system may be a little off. That is
why it is important for the right people to carry on the correct duties.

The first court level is U.S District Court; they have many important and mandatory
responsibilities they must always be ready for. The district court has responsible for all criminal court
cases, traffic violations, DNR, and animal control. Felonies however go to circuit court after being
arrainged and have their preliminary hearing. Trials are either jury trials or non jury trials but always
heard by a judge. Cases are usually solved by being dismisses, making a plea, or a simple trial.

The Court of Appeals has many responsibilities also. The Appellation courts are supposed to
render and review most decisions from cases that had been appealed to them from lower circuits of the
court systems. There is usually no jury trials, they just review cases and render some sort of verdict
either taking them on or by sending the case back to the lower courts for a re-trial.

State Supreme Courts hear all of the cases that have not been appealed through the circuit
courts. Cases that make it to the supreme courts have reached their highest level; at that point the
Supreme Court’s decision is binding and final.

The cases can be moved into Federal Courts out of state courts only if that particular case has
something to do with conflict against a federal law. The federal courts don’t prosecute state laws, only
federal laws. They take appeals from the state court level, even then they still may not have jurisdiction
to decide if a law was violated or not. Mostly, federal courts deal with issues of constitutionality or
issues covering civil rights.
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REFERENCES

Criminal Justice in Action: The Core(2006) p 163-165 United States vs. leon, 468u 5897 (1984)