The Inferior Courts

Judicial Branch

Inferior Courts

• Lower federal courts created by congress in the Judiciary Act of 1789

– Currently 94 of them

– 89 federal districts

– Each State has at least one judicial district

• Larger districts depend on the amount of business done there

District Court Jurisdiction

• These courts are the principal trail courts in the federal court system– Criminal cases

• A defendant has committed an action that congress has declared by law to be a federal crime

– Civil cases• A dispute over the terms of a contract or a

claim of patent infringement. Etc. –Grand juries are used to indict

defendants

Court of Appeals• 1891 a court of appeals was

created by Congress

– “Gatekeepers”, to relieve the Supreme Court of the burden of too many cases

– 3 year backlist (docket)

– Currently 12 Courts of Appeal that are divided into 12 judicial circuits

Appellate Judges & Jurisdiction• 179 circuit court judges sit on

the bench– 1 supreme court justice is

assigned to each of them + 12 judges

– They cover 3 states & hold sessions in a # of cities within the circuit

– Each court usually holds a panel of 3 but for important cases all the justices are called together

• These courts hold appellate jurisdiction– They hear cases on

appeal from the lower federal courts

– More than 55,000 cases a year

– All decisions are final unless the supreme court decides to hear appeals taken from them

Other Constitutional Courts• Congress created 2 other

courts in Article III.• US Court of International

Trade– 9 judges

• One who is chief– Hears civil cases arising

our of tariff & other trade-related laws• Sit in panels of 3 to hear

cases– Go to the Court of Appeals

• The US court of Federal Appeals

– Created in 1982

– Nationwide jurisdiction

– Speed up the handling of appeals cases in certain types of civil cases

• Patent

• Trademark

• Copyright

– 12 judges on panel

– 3 more may hear the case but there are exceptions