The federal court system has three levels. The first level is the federal
district courts. Most lawsuits brought in the federal system start in the
district court (although some go directly from state courts to the U.S. Supreme
Court). There are several hundred district courts, spread among 94 districts.
In general, the case must be brought in the district court that is
geographically related to the defendant or where the incident occurred. The
choice of court is not a neutral decision. Districts differ in the way sitting
judges apply the law and the willingness of their juries to award damages.
The second level is the federal courts of appeals. As the name suggests, those
who believe that the district court has misapplied the law or abused its
discretion in the handling of their case appeal to these courts. District
courts are grouped together into 13 circuits, each with several judges who sit
in panels to hear the cases appealed from the district courts within the
circuit. The appeals courts within a circuit attempt to apply the law
consistently within their circuit. Although they try to maintain consistency
with the other circuits, they are bound only by the Congress and by U.S.
Supreme Court, not the holding of the other circuits.
The third level is the U.S. Supreme Court. Some types of cases may be brought
directly in the Supreme Court, but most travel from the federal district court
through a circuit court of appeals, to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has
four primary roles: determining if acts of the U.S. Congress are
constitutional; reviewing state laws and court decisions for conflicts with the
Constitution and acts of Congress; adjudicating conflicts between the states;
and resolving conflicts between the federal circuit courts of appeals. The
Supreme Court reviews only laws or court decisions that are contested in a
court. It does not provide advisory opinions on the constitutionality of
proposed state or federal laws. Even with this limited scope of review, the
Supreme Court can decide only a small percentage of the cases that are
presented to it each year. Its decision not to review a case, which allows the
lower court's decision to stand, influences precedent nearly as much as the
cases in which it issues an opinion. For this reason, the Supreme Court devotes
substantial resources to sorting through the thousands of appeals cases
presented each year.
Not every case may be brought in federal court. The case must involve federal
statutes or regulations, constitutional rights, suits between states, or suits
between citizens of different states. Medical malpractice cases are usually
tried in state court unless one of the defendants is an employee of the federal
government. Cases involving constitutional issues such as the right of privacy
are brought in the federal courts. Cases involving antitrust law, racketeering
law, and Medicare/Medicaid laws are brought in the federal courts because these
are federal laws. A case originally brought in federal court may be sent back
to the state court if the judge determines that it does not involve a federal
issue. Alternatively, a case filed in state court may be sent to federal court
if substantial federal questions arise as the case proceeds.
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