The Federal Court System

Our Federal Court system is primarily composed of three high power jurisdictions that operate much differently than that of the state courts. Federal Courts consist of federal district courts, United States courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States; however, these courts have limitations in cases that solely focus on the Constitution and federal law. Federal district courts are considered general trial courts that consist of over six hundred and seventy-five district court judges nationwide, and they have ranked the lowest courts out of the entire federal court system. United States courts of appeal, however, are ranked second in the system and are composed of six judges on the first circuit and can reach up to twenty-nine judges on the ninth circuit. The Supreme Court is the ultimate court in the system and is composed of nine justices, which are then sub-categorized as eight associates and one chief justice. Though these courts differ in function and procedure, they all share an equal role, which is to decide whether an individual committed an offense and what the penalty should be. Moreover, they also postulate subtle ways to resolve private quarrels that citizens can’t resolve themselves. Each district court can conduct both civil and criminal cases, and in these cases, there is a U.S. attorney established as the prosecutor and a federal public defender that is designated to the defendant if he/she cannot afford a private attorney. There is a sum of ninety-four judicial districts in fifty states and territories, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Within an individual district, there is at least one U.S. district judge that operates a status authorized by the president and affirmed by the Senate, and he/she holds a prestigious position since there is no set number of terms. The district judges are accountable for operating courts and supervising the behavior of the court employees. Additionally, there are distinct judges called magistrates, which are selected from the district court by the majority number of votes. Magistrates complete an eight-year term if he/she decides to labor full-time, but achieves a period of four years if he/she prefers to work part-time. Within the federal district courts, Magistrates have the jurisdiction to direct hearings, establish bail, initiate search warrants, instigate arrest warrants and determine motions. In rare occurrences, Congress has the capability to impeach the district judge under particular circumstances, such as misdemeanors that go against the Constitution and federal law. Furthermore, every district consists of other secondary courts, such as bankruptcy courts, tax courts, claim courts, and international trade courts. After a district court has concluded its final verdict on a case, the …show more content…
These courts also have the capability to decide an appeal after a Circuit has ruled, either party has the option of choosing to appeal to Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court is not obligated to heed an appeal, since the Constitution has no requirements for these judges. Parties still have the opportunity to file for certiorari that permits their case to be heard if granted, but if the party’s petition is denied, then the lower court’s opinion …show more content…
A civil case is essentially a person or a company that inquires a judge to settle civil problems. What 's unique to a civil case that shows clear distinction from a criminal case is that it resolves issues regarding inheritance, a contract, a family dispute such as divorce or child custody, and damage suffered due to another person’s lack of responsibility. The majority of civil cases end with the requirement of the person responsible for damage, or other problems (defendant) needs to provide compensation to the plaintiff using reimbursement of money, restoring the property, or fulfilling promised services. On the contrary, a criminal case is ultimately a person that is taken into custody and presented before the court because of the alleged crime he/she has committed. The jury and judge 's obligation is always to bear into contemplation the evidence that 's presented before the court to make a final verdict of guilty or not guilty. Characteristics of criminal cases that create separation from civil cases are crimes that include, but not limited to, assaults, murder, sexual assault, identity theft, drug possession, and counterfeiting money. The majority of criminal cases end with the requirement of the guilty person paying a fine, accomplishing