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5.3 Discuss District, Appellate and Supreme Courts.  What does jurisdiction mean?

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Most civil and criminal cases do not even make it to court. The cases in our judicial system often end in a settlement or plea bargain.

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American judiciary is characterized as a dual court system. There are national courts and state courts. This is due to federalism. Federalism separates power of the governments.

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This is a deal made between a plaintiff and the defendant in order to bypass the need for a formal trial in civil suits. An adequate financial settlement in criminal case is made and usually involves the defendant pleading guilty to a lesser charge.

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There are 94 district courts in the national or federal judiciary. These are the lowest trial courts and they have what is called original jurisdiction. This is where the case is heard for the first time.

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These are often called circuit courts. if you lose in the district courts, you can ask a higher court, an appellate court, to consider whether or not your trial followed the law correctly. If you lose in an appellate court, you can take your case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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This is the highest court in the land. It is also the only court mandated in the Constitution. The U.S. Congress has the the authority to create courts and to determine the number of justices on the Supreme Court. In this court, a trial is not held to determine guilt or innocence. A trial is held to determine the constitutionality of the law.