

Free Shipping on US orders over $49 USD and 5 lbs or less at eVitamins.com!

(Redirected from Courts of the United States)
Jump to navigationJump to search
The courts of the United States are closely linked hierarchical systems of courts at the federal and state levels. The federal courts form the judicial branch of the federal government of the United States and operate under the authority of the United States Constitution and federal law. The state and territorial courts of the individual U.S. states and territories operate under the authority of the state and territorial constitutions and state and territorial law.
Federal statutes that refer to the "courts of the United States" are referring only to the courts of the federal government, and not the courts of the individual states and counties. Because of the federalist underpinnings of the division between sovereign federal and state governments, the various state court systems are free to operate in ways that vary widely from those of the federal government, and from one another. In practice, however, every state has adopted a division of its judiciary into at least two levels, and almost every state has three levels, with trial courts hearing cases which may be reviewed by appellate courts, and finally by a state supreme court. A few states have two separate supreme courts, with one having authority over civil matters and the other reviewing criminal cases. 47 states and the federal government allow at least one appeal of right from a final judgment on the merits, meaning that the court receiving the appeal must decide the appeal after it is briefed and argued properly. Three states do not provide a right to a first appeal. Rather, they give litigants only a right to petition for the right to have an appeal heard.
State courts often have diverse names and structures, as illustrated below. State courts hear about 98% of litigation; most states have courts of special jurisdiction, which typically handle minor disputes such as traffic citations, and courts of general jurisdiction responsible for more serious disputes.[1]
The U.S. federal court system hears cases involving litigants from two or more states, violations of federal laws, treaties, and the Constitution, admiralty, bankruptcy, and related issues.[2] In practice, about 80% of the cases are civil and 20% criminal.[1] The civil cases often involve civil rights, patents, and Social Security while the criminal cases involve tax fraud, robbery, counterfeiting, and drug crimes.[1] The trial courts are U.S. district courts, followed by United States courts of appeals and then the Supreme Court of the United States. The judicial system, whether state or federal, begins with a court of first instance, whose work may be reviewed by an appellate court, and then ends at the court of last resort, which may review the work of the lower courts.[3]
Institutions which may be considered courts of the United States are listed below.
The geographical boundary of the 12 United States Courts of Appeals
Headquarters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on Madison Place in Washington, D.C.See also: Article I and Article III tribunalsFederal courts located in Alabama
(All United States District Courts in Alabama may be appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia)
Former federal courts of Alabama
Federal courts located in Alaska
Federal courts located in Arizona
Federal courts located in Arkansas
Former federal courts of Arkansas
Headquarters of the Supreme Court of California, in San Francisco.Federal courts located in California
Former federal courts of California
Federal courts located in Colorado
Federal court located in Connecticut:
Federal courts located in Delaware
Headquarters of the Florida Supreme Court in Tallahassee.Federal courts located in Florida
Former federal courts of Florida
Federal courts located in Georgia
Former federal courts of Georgia
Aliʻiōlani Hale, in Honolulu, the building where the Hawaiʻi State Supreme Court meetsFederal courts located in Hawaii
Federal courts located in Idaho
The Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago, headquarters of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.State courts of Illinois
Further information: State court (United States)Federal courts located in Illinois
Further information: Federal judiciary of the United StatesFormer federal courts of Illinois
The E. Ross Adair Federal Building, seat of the Fort Wayne division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of IndianaFederal courts located in Indiana
Former federal courts of Indiana
Federal courts located in Iowa
Former federal courts of Iowa
Federal courts located in Kansas
Under an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution passed by the state's voters in 1975,[127] judicial power in Kentucky is "vested exclusively in one Court of Justice", divided into the following:[128]
Louisiana judicial districts map
The John Minor Wisdom U.S. Courthouse, home of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New OrleansFederal courts located in Maine
Maryland judicial circuit mapFederal courts located in Maryland
Former federal courts of Maryland
John Adams Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, home to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court and Massachusetts Appeals CourtFederal courts located in Massachusetts
Judicial circuits mapFederal courts located in Michigan
Former federal courts of Michigan
Supreme Court Chamber of the Minnesota Supreme Court in the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul.Federal courts located in Minnesota
Federal courts located in Mississippi
Former federal courts of Mississippi
Missouri State Supreme Court building across from state capitol in Jefferson City.Federal courts located in Missouri
Former federal courts of Missouri
Federal courts located in Montana
Federal courts located in Nebraska
The headquarters of the Supreme Court of Nevada in Carson City.Federal courts located in Nevada
Federal courts located in New Hampshire
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex, Trenton, New Jersey: The seat of the New Jersey Supreme Court and the central administrative offices of all statewide courts in New Jersey.Federal courts located in New Jersey
Former federal courts of New Jersey
Federal courts located in New Mexico
The 1842 courthouse of the New York Court of Appeals in AlbanyFederal courts located in New York
Former federal courts of New York
Federal courts located in North Carolina
Former federal courts of North Carolina
Federal courts located in North Dakota
The Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus, headquarters of the Supreme Court of OhioFederal courts located in this state
Former federal courts of Ohio
Federal courts located in Oklahoma
Courtroom of the Oregon Supreme Court.Federal courts located in Oregon
Federal courts located in Pennsylvania
Former federal courts of Pennsylvania
Federal courts located in Rhode Island
Federal courts located in South Carolina
State courts of South Dakota
Federal courts located in South Dakota
Federal courts located in Tennessee
Former federal courts of Tennessee
Federal courts located in Texas
Former federal courts of Texas
The Utah Supreme Court meets in the Scott M. Matheson Courthouse.Federal courts located in Utah
Federal courts located in Vermont
Federal courts located in Virginia
Former federal courts of Virginia
State courts of Washington
The headquarters of the Washington Supreme Court in Olympia.Federal courts located in Washington
Former federal courts of Washington
Federal courts located in West Virginia
Former federal courts of West Virginia
Federal courts located in Wisconsin
Former federal courts of Wisconsin
Federal courts located in Wyoming
Federal courts located in the District of Columbia
Former federal courts in the District of Columbia
High Court of American Samoa courthouseFederal courts located in Puerto Rico:
Due to its involvement in the resolution of crimes and conflicts, which are an intricate part of drama, the U.S. judicial system is often portrayed in American literature and films.
Several Hollywood films such as A Few Good Men (1992) and Runaway Jury (2003) are set around its courts.