Federal and State Court System
Federal and State Court Systems
The United States’ judicial system is actually made up of two different court systems: the federal court system and the state court systems. While each system is responsible for hearing certain types of cases, neither is completely independent of the other, and the systems often interact. Solving legal disputes and vindicating legal rights are key goals of both court systems.
The federal court system deals with issues of law relating to those powers expressly granted to it by the U.S. Constitution, while the state court systems deal with issues of law relating to those matters that the U.S. constitution did not give to the federal government.
The first type of court is what is known as an Article III court. These courts get their name from the fact that they derive their power from Article III of the Constitution. These courts include the District Courts, the Circuit Courts of Appeal, and Supreme Court. All judges of Article III courts are appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate and hold office during good behavior.
The second type of court also is established by Congress. These courts are magistrate courts, bankruptcy courts, Court of Military Appeals, Tax Court, and Court of Veterans' Appeals. The judges of these courts are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. They hold office for a set number of years, usually about 15.
Most state court systems are made up of two sets of trial courts: courts of limited jurisdiction (probate, family, traffic, etc.) and courts of general jurisdiction (main trial-level courts. Unlike federal judges, most state court judges are not appointed for life but are either elected or appointed (or a combination of both) for a certain number of
The United States’ judicial system is actually made up of two different court systems: the federal court system and the state court systems. While each system is responsible for hearing certain types of cases, neither is completely independent of the other, and the systems often interact. Solving legal disputes and vindicating legal rights are key goals of both court systems.
The federal court system deals with issues of law relating to those powers expressly granted to it by the U.S. Constitution, while the state court systems deal with issues of law relating to those matters that the U.S. constitution did not give to the federal government.
The first type of court is what is known as an Article III court. These courts get their name from the fact that they derive their power from Article III of the Constitution. These courts include the District Courts, the Circuit Courts of Appeal, and Supreme Court. All judges of Article III courts are appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate and hold office during good behavior.
The second type of court also is established by Congress. These courts are magistrate courts, bankruptcy courts, Court of Military Appeals, Tax Court, and Court of Veterans' Appeals. The judges of these courts are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. They hold office for a set number of years, usually about 15.
Most state court systems are made up of two sets of trial courts: courts of limited jurisdiction (probate, family, traffic, etc.) and courts of general jurisdiction (main trial-level courts. Unlike federal judges, most state court judges are not appointed for life but are either elected or appointed (or a combination of both) for a certain number of