Like all modern governments, the U.S. also comprises of three branches namely the legislature, executive and judiciary. Article III of the U.S. Constitution establishes the judicial branch in the country. The framers of the U.S. Constitution have divided powers among the three branches in accordance with the checks and balances so that no single branch can dominate or overpower and take their powers for granted.
The appointments in the Judicial Branch are done by the President and these appointments are confirmed by the Senate. It is the Congress that has significant discretion to determine the structure of the federal judiciary.
As per Article III of the U.S. Constitution, the judicial branch comprises of the Supreme Court and other lower courts. The Constitution grants Congress the power to establish these lower courts. The judicial branch interprets the meaning of laws, decides if laws violate the Constitution etc. and it has the power to strike down laws that are unconstitutional. The Supreme Court is the highest Court in the United States. It is at the apex of the judicial branch. The Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the President and must be approved by the Senate.
The Supreme Court of United States of America is located at Washington, D.C. “EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW” are the words written above the main entrance to the Supreme Court Building. This Court rarely hears new i.e., (cases from the start) cases because most of the cases reach the Supreme Court on appeal. In simple words appeal means a request for a higher court to reverse the decision of the lower court. The number of Supreme Court Judges is left to the Congress to decide and the current number is nine. There are nine members that make up the Supreme Court namely one Chief Justice and eight associate Justices. In-order to decide a case there must be minimum six Judges in the Supreme Court. The members of the Supreme Court are referred to as ‘Justices’ and this Court is charged with ensuring the people of America the promise of equal justice under law.
The Congress has established 94 district courts and 13 United States courts of appeal. The term jurisdiction means the extent of authority conferred by the law upon the Court to administer justice and original jurisdiction means that the Court has the authority to hear a matter as a Court of first instance. In simple words this court is approached first for a particular matter and the Court has the authority to hear the matter from the beginning. E.g., When a dispute between two or more U.S. States arises, they can approach the Supreme Court under its original jurisdiction. The office of Solicitor General is given the task to supervise and conduct government litigation meaning the process of conducting a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of United States. The Solicitor General regularly appears before the Supreme Court.
The cases that are brought before the judicial branch generally proceed from district court and these courts can also be referred as trial courts. The district courts hold both civil and criminal trials and most of the cases end up being finally decided in the district courts without moving up in appeals while some cases may move to the appellate court and may also finally reach to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is also referred as Constitutional Court because it is established under Article III of the U.S. Constitution whereas the lower courts are also referred as legislative courts because they are created by the congressional legislation where the U.S. Constitution empowers the Congress to establish lower courts.
The Supreme Court is the final judicial arbiter in United States i.e., the final place to get justice. The Courts decisions cannot be appealed to any other authority. The Courts task is to interpret the meaning of law, decide whether a particular law is relevant to the facts presented before the Court and to accordingly apply the law and provide justice to the ones who approach the Court.
The Federal Judiciary Act, 1789 is one of the first Acts of the US Congress which established the Federal court system. This Act provided foundation for the establishment of Federal courts in the U.S. In the United States, there are 94 district courts which resolve disputes by applying the legal principles and there are 13 appellate courts which are empowered to review the cases on appeal from the district courts.
There is also United States Court of International Trade which has nationwide jurisdiction over civil actions arising out of customs and international trade laws of the United States. Its purpose is to provide independent, fair and impartial application as well as interpretation of customs and international trade laws. It aims to provide speedy adjudication of matters that are brought before the court and quick redressal of disputes.
The laws and Constitution of each State of U.S. establishes its own State Courts. Side by side with the national judicial system is the state judiciary which specifically provides justice to the people of that particular state. The Supreme Court of the State is the highest Court of that State and below it is the court of appeals and below the court of appeals are the district courts. Like the federal Constitution in U.S. the various States of U.S. have their own Constitutions.
The task of these courts is to interpret the state laws and to interpret the State Constitutions as these are Courts having jurisdiction of dealing with the matters of that particular state only.
The States have courts that handle specific legal matters like criminal cases, contract cases, tort cases etc. whereas the Federal Court system deals with cases relating to constitutionality of law, cases involving ambassadors and public minsters, admiralty law, bankruptcy etc. There can be appeals against the decisions of the State Supreme Courts to the U.S. Supreme Court but this usually happens especially when a federal law is involved. The federal and the state judicial systems are parallel but yet connected to each other. Matters from state courts can be transferred to the federal court if a federal law or issues involving the Constitution are present.