POLITICAL SCIENCE 101 - American Government - Structure of the U.S. Court System

Hello everyone. In this video we're going to be talking about the structure for the US court system. Now the US court system is structured hierarchically with different levels of courts having distinct roles as well as responsibilities. Now we're going to start with the highest court in the land which we know as the United States Supreme Court.

The United States Supreme Court consists of nine justices who are appointed by the president and they're confirmed by the Senate. The Supreme Court is really the final authority on interpreting federal law including the US Constitution and it primarily functions as an appellate court hearing cases on appeal from lower federal courts or state Supreme courts. Now one of the most significant powers that the US Supreme Court has is what's known as judicial review which allows it to declare laws or government actions unconstitutional. Below the US Supreme Court we have the federal appellate courts also known as circuit courts of appeals.

Now these courts are divided geographically into 12 regional circuits. The federal circuit court of appeals has nationwide jurisdiction over specific subject matters like patent law and international trade. These appellate courts review decisions made by lower federal courts ensuring consistency in the interpretation and application of federal law. Moving on further down the hierarchy we have the federal district courts.

Now the United States is divided into 94 federal judicial districts each having at least one federal district court. These trial courts are where most federal cases begin. They handle both civil and criminal matters, hold trials, receive evidence and even issue judgments on cases within their jurisdiction. The district courts are really the backbone of the federal trial court system.

Now that we have a better understanding of the federal court system we're going to shift our focus to the state courts. Each state has its own court system which operates independently from the federal system. State court systems can vary but they typically consist of trial courts, appellate courts and a state Supreme court. trial courts often refer to as superior circuit or district courts handle both civil and criminal cases within the state's jurisdiction.

Appellate courts or intermediate appellate courts review decisions made by trial courts. And the state Supreme court is the highest court in the state and has authority to review decisions from lower state courts. Now understanding the structure of the US court system is crucial for navigating legal processes. Law courts have jurisdiction over cases involving federal law, the US Constitution or disputes between parties from different states.

While state courts handle cases involving state laws, contracts, torts and other matters not falling under federal jurisdiction. That wraps up this lecture on the structure of the US court system. I hope you found this information to be helpful and provide you with a solid foundation for how our US court system is structured.