The U.S. has one of the most complex judicial systems in the world. It has two court systems—the state courts and the federal courts—and all are overseen by the United States Supreme Court. Each system works a bit differently, and it all gets super complex when states sue each other or the U.S. government itself (i.e., the Department of Justice, DOJ) is a party. Let’s take a closer look at how the American judiciary system works.
First off, let’s take a look at the types of cases heard in federal and state court. Each system deals with its own type of cases.
| Federal Court System | State Court System |
| • Cases that deal with the Constitution • Cases involving federal laws and treaties (U.S. Code) • Cases involving foreign people (ambassadors, ministers) • Cases involving two or more states (or people in two or more states) • Cases in which a crime was committed in two or more states • Cases where the U.S. is a party • Bankruptcy, copyright, and patent cases • Cases involving maritime law • Cases involving habeas corpus issues | • Most criminal cases (crimes that occur within a given state) • Traffic violations • Cases that deal with state law • Cases involving wills, estates, etc. • Cases involving contracts, family law (marriage, divorce, etc.), and personal injury |
As seen, federal courts usually handle larger-scale, interstate cases, while in general, state courts deal with more local issues. Federal judges are appointed for life by the President and confirmed by the Senate, while state judges are appointed in various ways (depending on the state), but can be through direct election or appointment.
The United States runs on the common law system, which means that court rulings set precedents. (In other words, what the court reasons to be true must be applied to all other cases. For example, in Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a constitutional right, and so in all court cases thereafter, abortion must be treated as a constitutional right.)
Federal Court System
Having now understood which types of cases federal courts hear, let’s take a look at how it works. Simply put, there are three levels of courts: U.S. district courts, U.S. courts of appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
U.S. district courts are the lowest level of federal courts and there are 93 districts spread over the 50 states, D.C., and territories. Some populous states, like California, Texas, and New York, have four district courts, while some lesser-populated states, such as Wyoming, have just one. Cases involving the U.S. government usually start from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Also, because D.C. has no attorney general or local court system, all local prosecutorial matters in D.C. fall under this district court as well. Therefore, it is the largest, and busiest, district court. Though each district court has at least one judge, most have more, up to 28 (in the Southern District of New York and Central District of California).
If you lose a suit in the district court, you appeal to U.S. courts of appeals. There are a total of 13 circuits, numbered one through 11 for the states and territories, one for D.C., and one federal circuit (we’ll get to that). A court of appeals handles cases from a number of district courts together. For instance, if you were suing in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, it would go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The map below shows the geographic boundaries of U.S. district courts and U.S. courts of appeals.
Though the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has the smallest jurisdiction (and only covers one district court), it is arguably the most important federal court. Second in importance only to the U.S. Supreme Court, because its jurisdiction includes Congress and other governmental agencies, it is the main court for issues regarding administrative and constitutional law.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is a bit special, in that it covers cases based on case type rather than jurisdiction. The Federal Circuit typically hears cases pertaining to trademarks, patents, federal claims, international trade, and a few other types of cases. Cases to this court of appeals come from district courts around the country.
Because each circuit has a different population, each circuit court also has a different number of judges. The First Circuit, for instance, has just six judges and oversees just 13 million people in its jurisdiction. The largest circuit, the Ninth Circuit, has 29 judges and has 61 million people in its jurisdiction.
Usually, if you lose a federal lawsuit in a court of appeals, it’s usually over, because the U.S. Supreme Court, which has jurisdiction over all courts in the country, only grants writs (hears) about 100 to 150 cases a year, and most petitions for the court to hear a certain case are rejected. The Supreme Court hands down influential decisions and Newshacker Blog has a series devoted to covering major Supreme Court cases. Sometimes, cases can begin in the Supreme Court, which happens if there is a suit between two or more states (like in Texas v. California). This is called “original jurisdiction.” As the Supreme Court is the highest court in the country, its decisions are final.
State Court System
When you break a state law (which, in general, includes most criminal cases) or you are dealing with family-related issues, such as marriage, divorce, adoption, wills, inheritances, etc., the case will likely be heard in a state court system. The state court system varies slightly from state to state, but, in general, it follows the same structure.
Despite the fact that the principle of federalism is engrained in the American system, all state courts are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court, which can overturn any state court’s decisions (or rule state laws unconstitutional, etc.). This was established in Cohens v. Virginia, where the U.S. Supreme Court established the right to review decisions of state courts that involve federal law.
Judges in state courts are typically elected by constituents, but some are appointed by governors.
In most states, there are three levels of courts: the lowest court, which is known as a district court, circuit court, superior court, or the like (this depends on the state), a court of appeals (which is one level higher than general circuit courts), along with a state supreme court. The lower court is a general jurisdiction court, which means they hear all cases. Not all states have courts of appeals (which are also known under different names), but all have at least a lower court and a state supreme court. Delaware, D.C., Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming are two-court systems.
Except in Louisiana, all state courts are common law courts, like the federal system, where judicial decisions create a precedent.
Many civil lawsuits, where one party sues another party, happen in state courts. In these cases, the plaintiff tries to get a compensation from the defendant, or is trying to stop the defendant from doing what they were doing.
Again, if all lower state courts throw your lawsuit out, you can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the odds of it hearing your cases are slim, to say the least.
I hope that this post has given you a deeper understanding of how the American judicial system works. If you have any questions, leave a comment down below and I will try and answer it as soon as possible.