Federal court system pg 24 article iii of the us

Federal court system – pg 24 Article III of the US Constitution provides
that the Federal government’s judicial power is vested in one “Supreme
Court.” Article III also authorizes congress to establish inferior federal
courts. Congress has also established the U.S. District courts, the U.S.
courts of appeals, and the U.S. bankruptcy courts. Federal judges of
the U.S. Supreme court, U.S. courts of appeals, and the U.S. district courts
are appointed for life by the president w/advice and consent of senate.
Judges of other courts are appointed for various times (bankruptcy 14 yr.
terms).
Special Federal Courts -
U.S. District Courts – the federal system’s trial courts of general
jurisdiction. There is at least 1 federal district court in each state and the
District of Columbia, and heavily populated states have more than 1 district
court. The geographical area served by each court is referred to as a
district. They are empowered to empanel juries, receive evidence, hear
testimony, and decide cases.
U.S. Courts of Appeals – the federal court system’s intermediate appellate
courts. There are 13 circuits in the federal court system and the first 12 are
geographical. 11 are designated by numbers, such as First Circuit, Second
Circuit etc. The geographical area served by each court is referred to as a

circuit. The 12 th circuit court, located in Washington D.C., is called the
District of Columbia circuit.
Congress created the 13 th court of appeals in 1982. It is called the Court
of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and is located in Washington D.C. This
court has special appellate jurisdiction to review the decisions of the Court of
Federal Claims, the Patent and Trademark Office, and the Court of
International Trade. This court was created to provide uniformity in the
application of federal law in certain areas, especially patent law. A 3-judge
panel usually hears appeals and after the 3-judge panel renders a decision, a
petitioner can request an en bane review.
Supreme Court of the United States – pg 26 – the highest court in the
land. It is also called the U.S. Supreme Court and is located in Washington
D.C. It is composed of 9 justices who are nominated by the president and
confirmed by the senate. The president appoints 1 justice the Chief Justice
of the U.S. Supreme Court who is responsible for the administration of the
Supreme Court. The other 8 justices are Associate Justices of the U.S.
Supreme.
Jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court – pg 26-27 – The Supreme Court,
which is an appellate court, hears appeals from federal circuit courts of
appeals, and under certain circumstances, from federal district courts,
special federal courts, and the highest state courts. No new evidence or
testimony is heard. The Supreme Court’s decision is final.
Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court – a petitioner must file a petition
for certiorari, asking the Supreme Court to hear the case. If the court
decides to review a case, it issues a writ of certiorari. The court issues only
about 100 opinions a year and writs are usually only granted in cases
involving constitutional and other important issues.
The Supreme Court can issue several types of decisions:
Unanimous Decision –