Chapter 18 Section 2

The Inferior Courts

Section Objection: To understand the structure and the function of the constitutional courts in the federal court system.

A. The District Courts

1 The 632 district judges hear 80 percent of the federal caseload.

2 Each State forms at least one judicial district, and two judges are assigned to each district.

3 District courts have the original jurisdiction over most of the cases heard in the federal courts.

a District courts hear both civil and criminal cases.

b District courts use both grand and petit juries.

B. The Court of Appeals

1 Court of appeals were created in 1981 as �gatekeepers� to the Supreme Court.

2 There are now 12 courts of appeals and 179 circuit judges.

3 Appellate courts are regional and usually hear appeals from the courts within their circuits.

4 They also hear appeals from the United States Tax Court, the territorial courts, and the from the decisions of federal regulatory commissions.

C. Two Other Constitutional Courts

1 The court of International Trade has nine judges who hear civil cases arising out of the tariff and other trade-related laws.� Appeals from the Trade Court go to the Court of Appeals for the federal Circuit.

2 The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has 12 judges. It was set up in 1982 to centralize the appeals process in certain types of federal cases and in cases from certain lower and special courts.