The Inferior Courts

The District Courts• 94 district courts• Handles over 300,000 cases per year (80% of the

federal case load)• Principal trial courts (original jurisdiction)

• Has both criminal and civil jurisdiction• Jury consists of 12 people

The Honorable Matthew J. Perry Jr.

The Courts of Appeals• Established as “gatekeepers” to relieve the

Supreme Court of much of the burden of hearing appeals from the District Courts

• There are 12 courts of appeals (12 circuits) • Defendant may appeal one more time up to the US

Supreme Court

12

Court of Federal Claims• Citizen or state filing a law suit against the United

States government• May secure redress (satisfaction of claim)• Payment can only be made by an act of Congress

(money has to be appropriated)• 16 judges who serve 15 year terms

The Territorial Courts• Under its power to govern the territories of the

United States, Congress created courts for the nation’s territories.

• These courts are in places such as Guam and the Virgin Islands, and function much like the local courts in the 50 States.

The District of Columbia Courts

• As directed in the Constitution, Congress established a system of courts for the “Seat of Government of the United States.”

• The District of Columbia handles all local judicial matters for the district, including trials and appeals.

Washington D.C.

The United States Tax Court• Created by Congress in 1969.• The Tax Court hears civil cases involving disputes

over the application of the tax laws.• Most cases are generated out of the IRS• Its decisions may be appealed to the federal courts

of appeals.

The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

• This court is a civilian tribunal, a court operating as part of the judicial branch, entirely separate from the military establishment.

• The court reviews the more serious convictions of members of the armed forces at a court-martial, or trial involving military law.

The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

• The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims hears cases in which individuals claim that the Department of Veterans Affairs has denied or otherwise mishandled valid claims for veterans’ benefits

Military Commissions• Created by President Bush by executive order in 2003

to try “enemy combatants” or suspected terrorists from Iraq and Afghanistan

• Commissions are comprised of military officers• Supreme Court ruled that Bush had overstepped his

bounds (Hamdan v. Rumsfeld 2006)• Military Commissions Act of 2006 (military tribunals)

The Litmus Test• President nominates a Supreme Court judge• Senate judiciary committee questions the judge on

political issues to find out how liberal or how conservative the judge is