Judges and the Judiciary: Exploring America's Court System (Formerly known as Congress and the Courts)

About Judges and the Judiciary: Exploring America's Court System

Previously known as Congress and the Courts, now updated and with expanded coverage!

This HeinOnline database brings together a diverse set of materials focusing on the structure, creation, actions of, and oversight of the courts, both state and federal.  

There are three primary types of federal courts:

• District courts
  • also known as trial courts
  • there are 94 district courts
  • organized based on state boundaries, but states with large populations may be covered by more than one district
  • include a judge and jury
• Appellate courts
  • there are 13 appellate courts
  • the district courts are organized into 12 larger circuits and regions
  • hears challenges to district court decisions to determine if the original trial was fair and correctly decided
  • must hear all cases submitted to them
• U.S. Supreme Court
  • top of the judicial food chain
  • usually hears cases that have proceeded through district and appellate courts
  • has original jurisdiction for cases that involves two or more states
  • picks and chooses the cases it hears

State courts:

• are the final arbiter of state laws and state constitutions
• hear drunk driving cases, murder trials, and handle divorces, adoptions, personal injury, and probate
• states establish their own court systems
• if a state court interprets federal law, the case can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court

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