Federal Court System

 Judicial branch of the Government

 Outlined in Article III of the Constitution

What is the  What kind of cases do they hear?

 Disputes between states
Federal Court  Constitutionality of laws

System?  Cases involving U.S. Ambassadors and treaties

How is the
Federal Court
System set up?
 94 District courts in the United States, at least one in each
state and territory

 Tries federal cases (breaking a law set by Congress or the District

Courts
Constitution)

 Can be Civil, Criminal, or Bankruptcy trials

 Decisions can be appealed to a higher court
 Circuit or Appellate Courts

13 Circuits of Appeals

Any case from District courts can be appealed

• Panel of three Circuit court judges

• Oral argument for reversal and questions from the judges
• Decision is either affirmed or reversed
  Highest court in the United States
 Can decide appeals on all federal court cases
 Can decide decisions from State Supreme Courts if it has to do
Supreme Court with federal law
 Not required to hear all appeals (<1%)
 One Chief Justice, Eight other justices
  Any case involving:
 The U.S. Government
 The Constitution
Jurisdiction  Federal Laws
 Disputes between states
 Cases between the United States and foreign governments.
 Judicial Review

Marbury v. Madison

Courts have the right to review executive and

legislative actions/laws
Checks and balances
 All federal judges and justices are
appointed by the president

Appointments Subject to approval by the Senate

Serve for life

  I, ___ ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will
administer justice without respect to persons, and do

Oath equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will
faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the
duties incumbent upon me as ___ under the
Constitution and laws of the United States.
 Example: Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier
Student journalists at Hazelwood East High School in Missouri had their
stories censored and cut from the paper by the principal
District Court: ruled in favor of the high school

Appellate Court: reversed decision

Supreme Court: ruled in favor of the school

  Chief Justice John Roberts  Sonia Sotomayor (2009)
(2005)
Current Justices on  Clarence Thomas (1991)
 Elena Kagan (2010)
 Neil Gorsuch (2017)
the Supreme Court  Stephen Breyer (1994)
 Brett Kavanaugh (2018)
 Samuel Alito (2006)
 Amy Coney Barrett (2020)