1.5 Courts in America

Under the federal system, the highest court in the land is the United States Supreme Court The highest court in the U.S. judicial system , which sits in Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court is comprised of nine justices who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate and who serve for life. One justice is appointed to serve as the Chief Justice A judge appointed by the President who serves for life on the Supreme Court . The Chief Justice plays a critical role in assigning which justice will draft the controlling opinion—decision—of the court in a case. The Supreme Court is an appellate court, which hears cases that have already been heard in the lower federal appellate courts and state supreme courts. Under the doctrine of judicial review The doctrine that gives the Supreme Court power to declare any law unconstitutional , the Supreme Court has the power to declare any law unconstitutional, or in other words, not consistent with the rules established by the Constitution. Because its decisions are final, the Supreme Court holds great power to shape both law and society.

The federal courts also include the “inferior” courts as established by Congress. These inferior courts include the federal appellate courts, known as Circuit Courts, local U.S. district courts, and courts that hear special cases like admiralty and bankruptcy issues. Below is a chart that shows the structure of the U.S. federal court system:

State courts are usually set up in similar manner as the federal court system. Each state has a supreme court that is the final arbiter of state law. Most states have one or more intermediate appellate courts that review decisions arising out of the local district courts. California has six intermediate appellate courts, with 105 justices serving, while the state of Wyoming has none. The local state district courts include courts of general jurisdiction, but also courts which have a special purpose, like courts which exclusively handle family law or small claims matters.

The power of these courts to hear cases will be discussed in the next section.