Overview of the Federal Court System

• Author: Pamela Everett Nollkamper
• Pages: 23-54

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Chapter 1

Overview of the

Federal Court System

§100 Summary of the Federal Court System

§110 Electronic Access to Court Records

§120 Schedule of Fees

§100 Summary of the Federal Court System

§101 United States District Courts

§102 United States Courts of Appeals

§103 United States Supreme Court

§104 Federal Judges

§110 Electronic Access to Court Records

§111 PACER — Public Access to Court Electronic Records

§112 Case Management/Electronic Case Filing

§113 Electronic Access to Transcripts of Federal Court Proceedings

§114 Video and Telephonic Conferencing

§115 Digital Recordings of Proceedings

§120 Schedule of Fees

§100 SUMMARY OF THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM

The federal judiciary was created by Article III of the U.S. Constitution. Article III

of the Constitution gives the Supreme Court its judicial power, and gives Congress the

power to establish the nature and jurisdiction of inferior federal courts. Article I, Sec-

tion 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to establish inferior courts.

Under this section, Congress established special courts such as the U.S. Tax Court and

the Bankruptcy Courts.

The federal court system consists of four types of courts: the United States District

Courts, which are the trial courts; the United States Courts of Appeals, which are the

appellate courts; the United States Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the

country; and special courts, whose jurisdiction is limited to a specific area of law. Fed-

eral courts are courts of limited jurisdiction. All matters that do not fall under federal

court jurisdiction must be filed in state court.

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§101 OVERVIEW OF THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM

§101 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTS

The United States District Courts are the trial courts of the federal judiciary. The

federal district courts have both civil and criminal jurisdiction, and are courts of law,

equity and admiralty. Federal courts of lim ited jurisdiction on the trial-court level

include bankruptcy courts and some special courts. There is at least one district court

for each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. In the larger states, such

as Texas, California and New York, there are several district courts within the state.

There are district courts in three United States territories: the U.S. Virgin Islands,

Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Although these territorial courts are not

technically “District Courts of the United States,” they exercise the same jurisdiction as

U.S. district courts. However, judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the same

Constitutional protections as District Judges, and serve for ten years rather than for life.

There are four types of jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court:

1. Federal question jurisdiction;

2. Diversity jurisdiction;

3. Exclusive jurisdiction; and

4. Pendent jurisdiction.

Federal question jurisdiction involves disputes arising under the Constitution,

laws and treaties of the United States. These cases must involve an issue which is

federal in nature, or include a violation of one’s federal rights under the Constitution,

or contain a claim based upon federal law (28 U.S.C. §1331).

Diversity jurisdiction involves disputes of more than $75,000 between the following:

1. Citizens of different states or between a state government and a citizen of

another state.

2. A citizen of a state and a citizen of a foreign state, except in an action between

citizens of a state and citizens of a foreign state who are admitted for permanent

residence in the U.S. and are domiciled in the same state.

3. Citizens of different states in which citizens of a foreign state are additional

parties; and

4. Two or more states, or a foreign state and citizens of a different state.

A corporation is a citizen of the state in which it is incorpo rated or has its princi-

pal place of business. The term “state” includes the District of Columbia (28 U.S.C.

§§1330, 1332).

Exclusive federal jurisdiction means that only the federal court has the power to hear

the case. If the case involves an issue under federal law, the district court must resolve the

issue. State courts have exclusive jurisdiction over issues involving state law issues. When

both state and federal courts have the power to hear a case, concur rent jurisdiction exists,

then the Plaintiff may initiate the lawsuit in either federal or state court.

The district courts have exclusive jurisdiction over the following cases:

1. All admiralty or maritime cases. These cases include matters that occur on

lakes, rivers and canals, so long as they are part of a continuous interstate water

route. Lakes or rivers that are within one state with no outlet to another state are

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OVERVIEW OF THE FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM §102

generally excluded. However, there is a growing view in the district courts that

admiralty jurisdiction covers all waters navigable by a commercial craft;

2. All cases involving ambassadors and other public ministers and consuls;

3. All cases in which the United States is a party;

4. Federal bankruptcy actions;

5. Patent, copyright and customs actions;

6. Violations of federal criminal statutes;

7. Interstate commerce actions;

8. Antitrust actions;

9. Labor contract disputes that involve interstate commerce;

10. Criminal actions brought by the United States; and

11. Class actions with a value in excess of $5,000,000 between citizens of one

state and a foreign state or citizens of a foreign state. A district court may

decline jurisdiction over these cases.

Supplemental (or pendent) jurisdiction allows federal courts to hear an issue that

would otherwise be heard in a state court if no federal issues were involved in the

case. In other words, if a case involved a controversy over which the Federal Court

had subject matter jurisdiction but also contained an issue of state court jurisdiction,

the federal court may rule on the state issue. This eliminates the necessity of filing the

case in two courts and expedites the resolution of the matter. Conversely, the federal

court may decline to interpret the constitutionality of a state statute over which the

state and federal courts have concurrent jurisdiction through the Abstention Doctrine.

§102 UNITED STATES COURTS OF APPEALS

The United States courts of appeals, also known as circuit courts, have jurisdiction

over appeals from the federal district courts, bankruptcy courts, special courts, and

fed eral administrative agencies. A case that loses at the appellate level has no right to

a further appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court may agree

to hear the case under its certiorari jurisdiction.

There are thirteen circuits. Twelve circuits represent geographic areas of the

United States (and other areas such as the Virgin Islands and Guam). The thirteenth

circuit, the Federal Circuit, handles appeals from special courts such as the Court of

International Trade and the U.S. Tax Court. There is one appellate court for each cir-

cuit which may have divisions throughout the circuit.

The circuit courts of appeals hear appeals from final decisions of the district and

special courts. There are instances when the court of appeals will hear an appeal from

an interlocutory order. Examples of these occasions are:

• Injunctions;

• Orders involving receivers;

• Orders involving the rights and liabilities of parties in admiralty cases; and

• Certain bankruptcy decisions.