United States Court System
The United States court system can be confusing and intimidating for anyone, especially when you are faced with legal trouble.
There are three basic types of courts in the United States. They are the federal courts, the state courts, and the local courts. The federal courts deal more with national cases backed by the Constitution of the United Sates. The state courts deal with cases not covered by the Constitution but rather by each individual state’s laws. Local courts deal with some state and some local laws. For example, concerning crimes, if a person is being charged with a misdemeanor, their case will be tried local court. If a person is being charged with a felony, their case will be tried in a state court.
At the bottom of the court system are the bankruptcy courts and some trial courts including probate court, family court, traffic court, juvenile court, justice of the peace courts, and municipal court.
Bankruptcy courts are designed for people with an excessive amount of debt to be relieved from most of their debt by liquidating their assets or reorganizing their financial situation in order to benefit the creditors they owe.
Probate courts deal with estates of the deceased. They see that the deceased person’s last wishes are followed concerning the distribution of monies and property whether they had a will or not.
Family courts handle adoption, divorce, child custody, alimony, and child support cases.
Traffic courts handle minor violations of traffic law.
Juvenile courts handle cases involving juvenile delinquents under the age of 18-21.
Municipal courts are local or city courts. They handle cases involving violations of city and state ordinances.
Justice of the peace courts handle minor violations outside the jurisdiction of the city government. They sometimes handle small claims cases between two private parties involving small monetary amounts, usually under $5000. They can also handle arraignments for criminal cases. In smaller areas, the justice of the peace can act as a coroner and pronounce someone deceased.
The next courts up the ladder are the Bankruptcy Appellate Courts, United States District Courts, United States Tax Courts, United States Courts of International Trade, United States Courts of Federal Claims, United States Courts of Veteran’s Appeals, United States Court of Military Appeals, and the Criminal Appeals Courts, the United States Court of Appeals, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Bankruptcy Appellate Court is a panel of judges from the bankruptcy court system that are appointed to hear bankruptcy appeals cases under the Court of Appeals.
United States District Courts are state trial courts. There are 94 District Courts in the United States. Each state has at least one district court and the larger states have more than one. Most federal cases begin at the District Court level. They hear both civil and criminal cases. In most cases the judge determines what the law is and the jury determines what information is factual.
United States Tax Courts deal with cases involving tax deficiencies.
United States Courts of International Trade deals with cases involving tariffs and disputes about international trade.
United States Courts of Federal Claims deals with suits filed against the government.
The United States Courts of Veteran’s Appeals handles cases concerning the denial of veteran’s benefits.
The United States Courts of Military Appeals handle three types of cases. They review military cases from the Court of Criminal Appeals that involve a death sentence. The second kind of case they handle are those sent by the Court of Criminal Appeals and it is requested by the judge to be reviewed by the United States Court of Military Appeals. The last kind of case they review are those sent by the Court of Criminal Appeals in which the accused petitions to have the case reviewed and good cause for review is shown.
The Criminal Appeals Courts are state courts that hear felony appeals cases.
The United States Court of Appeals hears cases appealed from the district courts as well as appeals from federal administrative agencies.
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is a unique court. They hear cases not by geographical location, but rather by subject matter. They hear appeals from all of the United States District Courts, appeals from administrative agencies, and appeals arising from certain statutes. The judges that belong to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit are appointed by the President of the United States.
The highest ranking court is the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has a Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices. In order to become a member of the Supreme Court, you have to be nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. The Supreme Court is mainly an appellate court but they hear all kinds of cases.
