Chapter Eighteen: The Federal Court System

1
Chapter EighteenThe Federal Court System

• Section Two
• The Inferior Courts

2
The District Courts

• Federal trial courts
• 642 judges handle 300,000 cases per year
• 94 total, covering 89 districts in the States,
  plus courts for the territories and DC
• Jurisdiction Mostly original
• Hears civil and criminal cases

3
The Unites States Court of Appeals

• Created by the Constitution in 1891
• Relieved the Supreme Court of appeals
• 12 courts currently exist
• The US is divided into 12 appeals districts
• 179 judges
• Each district is also represented by a Supreme
  Court justice
• Jurisdiction appellate

4
Court of International Trade

• Originally created in 1890
• Nine judges (one is named chief judge)
• Hears civil cases arising from tariff and other
  trade related laws

5
The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

• Created in 1982
• Designed to speed up the appeals process for
  certain types of cases
• Nationwide jurisdiction, 12 judges
• Hears cases from the Court of International
  Trade, Court of Federal Claims, Court of Appeals,
  patents, copy-rights, trademarks