Like the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals decides only questions of law. It has 15 judges, who sit in panels of three to hear cases. Unlike the appellate division that decides only questions of law when a party appeals a case, the Superior and District Court divisions are the trial court divisions that hold trials, and empanel juries to determine the facts of cases.
Some states also have an intermediate Court of Appeals. Below these appeals courts are the state trial courts. Some are referred to as Circuit or District Courts. Congress has used this power to establish the 13 U. Courts of Appeals, the 94 U. District Courts, the U. Court of Claims, and the U. Court of International Trade.
Bankruptcy Courts handle bankruptcy cases. Magistrate Judges handle some District Court matters. Courts in the federal system work differently in many ways than state courts.
The primary difference for civil cases as opposed to criminal cases is the types of cases that can be heard in the federal system. Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, meaning they can only hear cases authorized by the United States Constitution or federal statutes. The federal district court is the starting point for any case arising under federal statutes, the Constitution, or treaties. The plaintiff has the initial choice of bringing the case in state or federal court.
Note: the rules for diversity jurisdiction are much more complicated than explained here. Criminal cases may not be brought under diversity jurisdiction. States may only bring criminal prosecutions in state courts, and the federal government may only bring criminal prosecutions in federal court.
Also important to note, the principle of double jeopardy — which does not allow a defendant to be tried twice for the same charge — does not apply between the federal and state government. If, for example, the state brings a murder charge and does not get a conviction, it is possible for the federal government in some cases to file charges against the defendant if the act is also illegal under federal law.
They may also be removed by impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate. Throughout history, fifteen federal judges have been impeached due to alleged wrongdoing.
One exception to the lifetime appointment is for magistrate judges, which are selected by district judges and serve a specified term.
The district courts are the general trial courts of the federal court system. Each district court has at least one United States District Judge, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a life term.
The geographical area served by each court is established by the Legislature, but each county must be served by at least one district court. In sparsely populated areas of the State, several counties may be served by a single district court, while an urban county may be served by many district courts.
While most district courts try both criminal and civil cases, in the more densely populated counties the courts may specialize in civil, criminal, juvenile, or family law matters. The Texas Constitution provides for a county court in each of the counties of the state, though all such courts do not exercise judicial functions. In the more populous counties, the county judge may devote his or her full attention to the administration of county government.
The constitutional county courts have original jurisdiction over all criminal cases involving Class A and Class B misdemeanors, which are the more serious minor offenses. These courts usually have appellate jurisdiction in cases appealed from justice of the peace and municipal courts, except in counties where county courts at law have been established. Because the Constitution limits each county to a single county court, the Legislature has created statutory county courts at law in more populous counties to aid the single county court in its judicial functions.
The legal jurisdiction of the special county-level trial courts varies considerably and is established by the statute which creates the particular court. The jurisdiction of statutorily-created county courts at law may be concurrent with the jurisdiction of the county and district courts in the county.
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