The Three Main Levels Of The Federal Court System

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The federal court system of the United States has three main levels. First are the district courts, the circuit courts which are the first level of appeal, and then the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court was created by Article III in the U.S. Constitution, which called “for the creation of “one supreme Court” and establishes the Court’s jurisdiction, or its authority to hear cases and make decisions about them, and the types of cases the Court may hear” (Krutz and Waskiewicz). Although the Supreme Court has been around for a while, it still plays an important role in the United States today.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States, and its main role is to interpret the meaning of a law. Also, to decide whether a law is relevant to a particular set of facts or to rule on how a law should be applied. In addition, the Supreme Court acts as a check and balance to ensure that each branch of the United States government does not exceed its powers. Unlike the rest of the federal court system, the Supreme Court gets to choose which cases it hears. …show more content…

First, “at the lowest level are the district courts, where federal cases are tried, witnesses testify, and evidence and arguments are presented” (Krutz and Waskiewicz). Next, if the losing party does not agree with the decision, then they can take it to the circuit courts or U.S. Courts of Appeals, where the case will be reviewed. Finally, if the losing party still does not get the ruling, they want they can appeal to the Supreme Court. However, out of the thousands of appeals the Supreme Court receives only about a hundred cases are heard per