Courts

How Federal District Courts Work The U.S. District Courts are the principal trial courts of the federal judiciary, but understanding their role requires more than knowing that they are “trial courts.” A federal district court is a working judicial institution through which a legal dispute moves from an allegation or Read more

The U.S. District Courts The U.S. District Courts are the principal trial courts of the federal judicial system of the United States. They are where most federal cases begin. Unlike the U.S. Courts of Appeals, which primarily review decisions made by lower courts, district courts hear cases in the first Read more

What Are the Federal Courts? The federal courts are the courts of the United States federal government. They exist to decide cases arising under the U.S. Constitution, federal statutes, treaties, and other matters placed within federal judicial authority. They also hear certain disputes involving citizens of different states, the federal Read more

Is There a Constitutional Court in the United States? No. The United States does not have a separate constitutional court in the traditional sense. Instead, constitutional review is integrated into the ordinary judicial system. Federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, can decide constitutional questions when those questions arise in Read more

Judicial Review in the United States Judicial review is the power of a court to determine whether a law, governmental action, or other exercise of governmental authority is consistent with the Constitution or other controlling law. It is one of the defining features of the American constitutional system. Through judicial Read more

Judicial Independence in the United States Judicial independence is the principle that judges must be able to decide cases according to the Constitution, statutes, legal precedent, and other applicable law without improper pressure from political institutions, private interests, the parties before the court, or public opinion. It is one of Read more

Judicial Power in the United States Judicial power is the authority of courts to resolve legal disputes, interpret and apply law, determine legal rights and obligations, and provide judicial remedies when the law permits them. In the United States, judicial power is a fundamental component of the constitutional system because Read more

The Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government The Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government is the part of the federal government responsible for exercising judicial power under the U.S. Constitution. Its central function is to resolve legal disputes, interpret and apply the law, determine the rights and obligations of parties, Read more

Federal Courts vs. State Courts: What Is the Difference? The United States has two principal judicial systems: federal courts and state courts. They exist alongside one another, and both can hear important civil and criminal cases. Yet they are not interchangeable. The distinction between federal and state courts is rooted Read more