Constitutional Basis

Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution:

The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.

District Courts

• Trial courts with original jurisdiction.

• 94 district courts across the country.

  - At least one district in each state
  - A district in the District of Columbia
  - A district in Puerto Rico

Original jurisdiction

• The authority to hear a case for the first time.
• Generally the only court to make decisions on matters of fact (hear evidence)
• Judge makes decisions on matters of law which may be appealed to higher courts.

Decider of fact vs. Decider of law

• Decider of fact: Determines what happened in a case.

   - Did the defendant commit the crime?
   - Did the defendant breach the contract?
   - Did the defendant cause the accident?

• Decider of law: Determines how the law applies to the facts.

    - What law applies to the case?
    - What is the legal standard for determining guilt?
    - What is the legal standard for determining liability?
    - Are there any legal defenses that apply?
    - What precedents apply to the case?

Courts of Appeals

• Appellate courts reviewing district court decisions.
• 13 circuit courts with regional jurisdiction.
• No new evidence or witnesses.

Appellate jurisdiction

• The authority to review decisions made by lower courts.
• Generally only reviews matters of law.
• Can affirm, reverse, or remand (send back) the case to the lower court.
• Decisions are binding on lower courts in the same circuit as precedent.

Precedent

• A legal principle established in a court decision that is binding on future decisions in similar cases.
• Stare decisis: The principle that courts should follow precedent.

Supreme Court

In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.

And that is where will pick up next class with the Supreme Court…

Authorship and License

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• Author: Tom Hanna

• Website: tomhanna.me

• License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.