Federal Court system

The U.S. Court System

U.S. District Courts, U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court

There are three levels of courts in the federal court system in which a federal case can be heard: a U.S. District Court, a U.S. Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. A case is first heard in the district court and then can be appealed to a court of appeals, also known as an appellate court. After that, a case can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Only a fraction of cases are ever heard by the Supreme Court; the judges on the appellate courts and district courts make the final decisions on most matters. This gives the judges of the “lower courts” — district courts and appellate courts — tremendous influence over how laws will be interpreted.

Judges in the federal courts are appointed for life by the President. This allows the President to have a major impact on how laws will be analyzed and implemented by the courts.