Courts in the United states

Courts in the United States, judicial organs of government, comprising two principal systems: the federal courts, referred to as United States courts, and the state courts. The federal courts were provided for in the Constitution of the United States on the theory that the judicial power of the federal government could not be entrusted to the states, which was necessary for a strong national government. Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789, organizing the Supreme Court of the United States and establishing a system of federal courts of inferior jurisdiction.

Federal Courts

The courts established under the power granted by the U.S.Constitution are known as constitutional courts. Judges of constitutional courts are appointed for life by the President with the approval of the Senate. They are the district courts, the Courts of Appeals (before 1948, Circuit Courts of Appeals), and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest appellate tribunal in the country and is a court of original jurisdiction in some cases. The Supreme Court is also the final judicial arbiter of federal constitutional question.

Other federal courts are called 1egislative courts. These are the Claims Court, the Court of International Trade, the Tax Court, and the territorial courts established in the federally administered territories of the United States.

State Courts

Each state has an independent system of courts operating under the constitution and laws of the state. The character and names of the courts differ from state to state. The state courts as a whole have general jurisdiction, except in cases in which exclusive jurisdiction has been vested in the federal courts.

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