4.4 QuickWrite-Federal Court Structure and Judicial Appointment

Federal Court Structure and Judicial Appointment

2.4 Circuit Court Map

District Courts

The nation’s 94 district or trial courts are called U.S. District Courts. District courts resolve disputes by determining the facts and applying legal principles to decide who is right.  

Trial courts include the district judge who tries the case and a jury that decides the case. Magistrate judges assist district judges in preparing cases for trial. They may also conduct trials in misdemeanor cases.

There is at least one district court in each state, and the District of Columbia. Each district includes a U.S. bankruptcy court as a unit of the district court. Four territories of the United States have U.S. district courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases: Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Courts of Appeals

There are 13 appellate courts that sit below the U.S. Supreme Court, and they are called the U.S. Courts of Appeals. The 94 federal judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a court of appeals.  The appellate court’s task is to determine whether or not the law was applied correctly in the trial court. Appeals courts consist of three judges and do not use a jury.

A court of appeals hears challenges to district court decisions from courts located within its circuit, as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies.

In addition, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals in specialized cases, such as those involving patent laws, and cases decided by the U.S. Court of International Trade Links to an external site. and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims Links to an external site..

The Supreme Court is the "court of last resort" in the appeals process.  The Supreme Court currently hears between 70 and 90 cases per year from  the  approximately 7000 applicants. Therefore, the Circuit Courts  have become the de-facto Supreme Court as their decisions are left to stand.  

Quick Write Questions:

1. Explain the Difference between a District Court and a Circuit Court. 
2. How can a president use their power of Judicial Appointment to significantly change the law in America.   Explain why President Trump's judicial appointments including the Supreme Court will have significant impact in the future of law and stare decisis.

This is not an analytical paper, but a summary analysis of your knowledge of the concepts in this chapter.   The response should be about 400 words (one page). Students posting less than a 400 word response will get reduced or no credit.