Judicial+Organization+&+Hierarchy


 * U.S Supreme Court:** The Supreme Court develops rules governing the presentation of cases. The Judicial review is one of the most important powers in the Supreme Court. Even though it is a separate branch of government, outside factors have some influence on the Court.
 * The influences include courts can’t make a ruling unless they have an actual case brought before it. Facts of a case are relevant circumstances of a legal dispute or offense. The Supreme Court must respond to the facts of a dispute.
 * The Supreme Court must determine what laws are relevant. Including interpretation of the Constitution, statutes, an d precedent.

**Supreme Court Justices:**

**Chief of Justice -** John G. Roberts Jr.

**Associate Justices-** Antoniin Scalia Anthony M. Kennedy Clarence Thomas Ruth Bader Ginsburg Stephen G. Breyer Samuel A. Alito Jr Sonia Sotomayor Elena Kagan.

**What is** **Judicial Review?** Judicial Review has three separate parts to it. One- gives the power of the courts to declare laws invalid if they violate the Constitution. Two- the supremacy of federal laws or treaties when they differ from the state and the local laws. Three- the court plays as the final authority on the meaning of the Constitution.

**Which Court Does What?**

**State Courts:** Each state has a court system of their own that is separate from federal courts. State courts have trials at the bottom level and appellate courts at the top. Over ninety five percent of of the U.S’s legal cases are decided in state courts. State courts can consist of two or one appellate levels, and vary in the way the name of the courts are organized. Lower courts specialize titles and jurisdictions. Family courts settle issues having to do with divorce, child-custody, and handle the settlement of estates of a deceased family member. Below these trial courts are less formal, such as magistrate and justice of peace courts. These courts handle a variety of very minor cases, such as traffic violations and most of the time don’t need a jury.

**Federal Courts:** People who have cases that are appealed from a district court, get sent to a federal court. The Court Of Appeals doesn't use juries or witnesses, and no new evidence is considered in an appealed case. There are twelve different appeal courts, and all but one serve an area consisting three to nine states.This is called a circuit. The U.S court of appeals for the federal circuit specializes in appeals of decisions in cases involving patents, contracting claims against federal governments, federal employment cases, and international trade. In a federal court, anywhere between four and twenty six judges sit on each court of appeals, an d each case is heard by a panel of three judges.

**Federal District Courts:** All federal courts except for the Supreme Court were created by Congress. There are ninety four federal district courts in the U.S, with at least one in each state. Larger states can have up to four federal district courts. There is an estimate of five hundred and fifty federal district court judges. These judges are decided on by the president, with advice given from the senate.

**District courts:** Are the only courts in the federal system where juries hear testimonies in some cases, most cases that are at the level of a federal district court are presented before a single judge. Most cases end with the the district court’s decision.

**Court of Military Appeals:** The court of Military Appeals hears and appeals military court material and cases. An example of this would be a person in the military who committed a crime and can be punished by military courts.

**Court of International Trade:** The Court of International Trade hears cases which involves appeals of ruling of U.S custom offices.

**Court of Claims:** The Court of Claims focuses on cases in which the U.S government is being sued.

Source: "U.S. Court System." //U.S. Court System//. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.

Pictures:

"Supreme Court of the United States." //Wikipedia //. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Nov. 2014.

"The Judicial Branch." //Jordan Cox //. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.