The
United States federal courts comprises the
Judiciary Branch of government organized under the
Constitution and
laws of the
federal government of the United States. See also
United States federal judge.
Categories
The courts are one of the three coequal branches of the federal government, and include:
- Courts with geographic-based appellate jurisdiction:
- Courts with original jurisdiction over specific subject matter:
- Courts with appellate jurisdiction over specific subject matter:
While federal courts are generally created by the
United States Congress under the constitutional power described in
Article III, many of the specialized courts are created under the authority granted in
Article I. Much greater power is vested in
Article III courts because these courts are much more independent of Congress and the President. If Article I courts were able to exercise that level of power, the
balance of power between the branches of government would be threatened.
Article III requires the establishment of a Supreme Court and permits the Congress to create other federal courts, and place limitations on their
jurisdiction. In theory, Congress could eliminate the entire federal judiciary except for a single Supreme Court Justice (who would be the Chief Justice by default), although the
1st Congress immediately established a system of lower federal courts through the
Judiciary Act of 1789.
Levels of U.S. federal courts
The
United States district courts are the general federal trial courts, although in many cases
Congress has passed
statutes which divert
original jurisdiction to the above-mentioned specialized courts or to
administrative law judges (ALJs). In such cases, the district courts have jurisdiction to hear appeals from such lower bodies.
The
United States courts of appeals are the federal intermediate appellate courts. They operate under a system of mandatory review which means they
must hear all appeals from the lower courts.
The
Supreme Court of the United States is the
supreme court (court of last resort). It generally is an appellate court that operates under
discretionary review, meaning that the Court, through granting of writs of
certiorari, can choose which cases to hear. There is generally no mandatory right of appeal to the Supreme Court. In a few unusual situations (like lawsuits between state governments or some cases between the federal government and a state) it sits as a court of
original jurisdiction. Such matters are generally referred to a designated individual (usually a sitting or retired judge or well-respected attorney) to sit as a
special master and report to the Court with recommendations.
Related organizations
The
Judicial Conference of the United States is the policymaking body of the U.S. federal courts. The Conference is responsible for creating and revising federal procedural rules pursuant to the
Rules Enabling Act.
The
United States Marshals Service is responsible for providing protection for the federal judiciary and transporting federal prisoners.
The
Supreme Court Police provide security for the
Supreme Court building.
Limitations on U.S. federal courts
The Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution as placing some additional restrictions on the federal courts. For example, the doctrines of
mootness,
ripeness, and
standing prohibit district courts from issuing
advisory opinions. Other doctrines, such as the
abstention doctrine and the
Rooker-Feldman doctrine limit the power of lower federal courts to disturb rulings made by
state courts. The
Erie doctrine requires federal courts to apply substantive state law to claims arising from state law (which may be heard in federal courts under supplemental or diversity jurisdiction). In difficult cases, the federal courts must either guess as to how a state court would decide the issue or "certify" the issue to a state court if the state has provided for such a procedure.
Notably, the only federal court that can issue proclamations of federal law that bind state courts is the Supreme Court itself. Decisions of the lower federal courts on issues of federal law are persuasive but not binding authority in the states in which those federal courts sit.
Study of U.S. federal courts
Most U.S.
law schools offer an elective course that focuses specifically on the powers and limitations of U.S. federal courts, with coverage of topics such as
justiciability,
abstention doctrines, the
abrogation doctrine, and
habeas corpus.
See also
