Court Hierarchy

The core hierarchy system of courts is explained, starting with district or trial courts that evaluate facts and make decisions. Appeals can be made to the Court of Appeals for review. State cases can be reviewed by the state Supreme Court, while federal cases are reviewed by the selective U.S. Supreme Court. The Judiciary Act of 1789 established the federal court system. Federal courts handle constitutionality, laws, treaties, ambassadors, and public ministers, while state courts handle criminal, probate, wills, estates, and contract cases. Court structures and names vary across jurisdictions. State cases can sometimes be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court if they involve constitutionality or are controversial. So we're going to start with a brief overview of the history and structure of the core hierarchy system. Generally, we start at the district level, so district or trial courts are responsible for evaluating the facts with respect to the law to determine who is right and what party wins. This court is generally made up of the district or trial judge and then a jury. If either party is unhappy with this decision, they can appeal to the Court of Appeals who hear challenges to the district court decision in determining the legality of the decision and whether the law was applied correctly. At the state level, most cases, if either party is unhappy with the outcome, can have their case reviewed by the state Supreme Court, whereas at the federal level, it's a bit harder because the U.S. Supreme Court is very selective about what cases they review. So the separation and distinction between the federal and state courts that we have today was first established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, which established the federal court system and separated it from the individual and state courts. This was signed into law by President George Washington on September 24, 1789, and it was one of the first acts of the first Congress. So although the three levels of the courts in the state jurisdiction and then federal court is generally the same, I do want to point out the distinctions between cases at the state level and cases at the federal level. So the federal court typically hears cases dealing with constitutionality, involving laws and treaties of the U.S., involving ambassadors and public ministers, whereas at the state level, these courts typically deal with criminal cases, probate cases, wills and estates, also a lot of contract cases as well. Structure can vary across jurisdictions. In Kentucky, for example, that entry-level court is broken up into more specific sects, so starting with the district court and then the family court and moving on to the circuit court before reaching the court of appeals. The federal system is going to be a little bit more clear-cut, just the three basic levels that we think of when we think of court hierarchies, so starting with that district court and then the court of appeals and then the U.S. Supreme Court. The naming of courts can also change and vary across jurisdictions. In New York, for example, their entry-level court is their Supreme Court, although this is very rare and typically not the case, state decisions or cases that were handled in state jurisdiction can sometimes be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court if it deals with constitutionality or just a very serious, controversial case. The U.S. Supreme Court can make the decision to hear these cases.