The U.S. Judicial System

The U.S. judicial system operates through a series of state and federal courts: trial (lower) courts that conduct trials; and appeals (higher) courts that determine questions of law, particularly whether errors of law were made by a trial court when reaching its decision. The state court system may not interfere with the federal court system, which is the final legal authority within its jurisdiction. The federal court system, however, may interfere with the state court system in legal disputes involving the U.S. Constitution; otherwise, the state court system is the final legal authority in its jurisdiction.

Trial courts resolve questions of fact based upon the evidence presented, and no appeals court can substitute a different set of facts. Judges preside over trials and also decide all cases where the parties have not requested juries. When a jury hears a case, it must reach a verdict based upon the evidence presented and using the judge's instructions.

In the appellate courts, a panel of judges-rather than jurors-decides the cases. There are three possible outcomes from an appeal:

The appellate court finds no error of law by the trial court when reaching its decision and affirms (upholds) the trial court's decision;

The appellate court discovers an error of law by the trial court when reaching its decision, and consequently reverses the trial court's decision; or

The appellate court discovers an error of law by the trial court when reaching its decision, and consequently both reverses and remands  ― a remand means that the trial court must hold a new trial.

The Federal Court System

The federal court system consists of three tiers: U.S. district courts; U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals; and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Most federal cases begin in one of the U.S. District Courts, which hear criminal cases arising under federal statutes or the U.S. Constitution. District Courts are trial courts; however, as with the state court system, a district court may act as an appellate body for litigants who begin their journeys through the legal system in federal administrative agency hearings (such as HUD).

The U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals-consisting of thirteen geographic circuits-hear appeals of the decisions rendered by the U.S. District Courts. For example, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, and is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. As with all appeals courts, panels of judges rather than jurors decide the cases.

The U.S. Supreme Court-located in Washington, D.C.-hears appeals from state supreme courts and U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, and is the only court specifically named in the U.S. Constitution. The President appoints the justices who-once confirmed by the U.S. Senate-serve for life. An agreement by at least five of the nine justices determines the final decision on an issue being appealed.