The Court System

1
The Court System
CHAPTER 4

• 4-1 Dispute Resolution and the Courts
• 4-2 Federal Court System
• 4-3 State Court Systems

2
Dispute Resolutionand the Courts
LESSON 4-1

• Explain how disputes can be settled without
  resort to the courts
• Name the different levels of courts and describe
  their powers

3
CAN DISPUTES BE RESOLVED PRIVATELY?

• Mediation
• Arbitration

4
MEDIATION

• Mediator tries to develop a solution acceptable
  to both sides of the dispute.
• The actions of a mediator are advisorynot
  binding.

5
ARBITRATION

• An arbitrator usually holds an informal hearing
  to determine what happened.
• The arbitrators decision is binding on both
  parties.
• The decision can be enforced by court order if
  necessary.

6
DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COURTS

• Trial courts
• Appellate courts

7
TRIAL COURTS

• A trial court is the first court to hear a
  dispute.
• A trial court has original jurisdiction over a
  case.

8
APPELLATE COURTS

• An appellate court reviews decisions of lower
  courts when a party claims an error was made
  during the previous proceeding.
• Appellate courts are concerned with errors of law
  rather than questions of fact

9
POSSIBLE APPELLATE COURT DECISIONS

• Affirm (uphold) the decision of the lower court
• Reverse (overturn) the decision of the lower
  court
• Amend (change) the decision of the lower court
• Remand the casesend it back to the trial court
  for corrective action or possibly a new trial.

10
Federal Court System
LESSON 4-2

• Identify the source of power of the federal
  courts
• Name the various levels of federal courts and
  describe their jurisdictions

11
ORIGINS OF OUR FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM

• Federal courts received their power from the
  Constitution.
• The Constitution granted Congress the power to
  establish courts inferior to the U.S. Supreme
  Court.

12
JURISDICTION OF THE FEDERAL COURTS

• Federal District Courts
• Federal Courts of Appeals
• United States Supreme Court

13
FEDERAL COURT SYSTEM
Cases involving federal law
Tax, international, etc.
First to hear dispute
14
State Court Systems
LESSON 4-3

• Compare the structure of a typical state court
  with the structure of the federal courts
• Identify state courts of specialized jurisdiction
• Discuss the jurisdiction of the various typical
  state courts

15
STRUCTURE OFSTATE COURT SYSTEMS

• State trial courts
• State courts of appeals
• State supreme courts

16
A TYPICAL STATE COURT SYSTEM
17
STATE COURTS WITH SPECIALIZED JURISDICTION

• Associate circuit courts
• City or municipal courts
• Small claims courts
• Juvenile courts
• Probate courts

18
Chapter 4 Vocabulary

• Appellate brief
• Appellate court
• Arbitrator
• Associate circuit court
• Court
• Court of record
• General jurisdiction
• Special jurisdiction
• Transcript
• Trial court

• Justice
• Juveniles
• Litigate
• Mediator
• Municipal court
• Original jurisdiction
• Probate court
• Small claims court
• Writ of certiorari