Federal Court System

Federal Court System

Article 3, Section 1

  • Judicial Power of the USA shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. 

Article 3, Section 2

  • Basically creates a series of categories of cases or controversies to which the judicial power extends to.

Article 3, Section 3

  • Crimes stated within the Constitution, such as treason, which is betraying someone or something. 


Courts

Supreme Court

  • Highest court with 9 Justices

  • Appeals jurisdiction through certiorari process

  • Limited original jurisdiction over some cases. 

Courts of Appeal

  • Intermediate level in the federal system

  • 12 Regional circuit courts, including DC Circuit

  • No original Jurisdiction; strictly appellate

District Courts

  • Lowest level in the federal system

  • 94 judicial district in 50 states and territories

    • No appellate jurisdiction 

  • Original jurisdiction over most cases.

Types of Jurisdiction 

Exclusive Jurisdiction

  • Those cases that can only be heard in the federal courts

  • The Supreme Court can be the only court to hear cases about treason.

Concurrent Jurisdiction

  • States and Federal Courts share power to hear cases 

  • Shared by other courts (States and Federal courts) 

    • The first time they try a case will always begin in the lowest court to make room for an appeal anytime the case is heard. 

Original Jurisdiction

  • A court in which a case is first heard

Appellate Jurisdiction

  • A court that hears a case on appeal from a lower court

  • They hear around 12,000/year 

Powers of the Court 

  • The Court’s main job is to decide whether laws and government actions are constitutional, or allowed by the Constitution. It does this through judicial review- the power to say whether any law or government action goes against the Constitution. 

    • The Supreme Court is very powerful 

  • The legislative and executive branches must follow Supreme Court rulings. Because the Court is removed from politics and the influences of special-interest groups, the parties involved in a case are likely to get a more fair hearing. 

Marbury vs Madison

  • The Constitution does not give the Supreme Court the power of judicial review

  • The Court claimed the power when it decided the case Marbury v. Madison


  1. The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the land

  2. If a law conflicts with the Constitution, the Constitution rules.

  3. The Judicial Branch has a duty to uphold the Constitution. Thus, it must be able to determine when a law conflicts with the Constitution and nullify that law.