"U.S. District Court" Louis Charles Hamilton II vs. Antoine L. Freeman J. D. (Attorney at Law) Texas Bar No. 24058299 et al

The difference between Federal and State Courts

The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land in the United States. It creates a federal system of government in which power is shared between the federal government

and the state governments. Due to federalism, both the federal government and each of the state governments has its own court system.

STRUCTURE

The Federal Court System

Article III of the Constitution invests the judicial power of the United States in the federal court system.

Article III, Section 1 specifically creates the U.S. Supreme Court and gives Congress the authority to create the lower federal courts.

Congress has used this power to establish the 13 U.S. courts of appeals, the 94 U.S. district courts, the U.S. Court of Claims,

and the U.S. Court of International Trade. U.S. bankruptcy courts handle bankruptcy cases. Magistrate judges handle some district court matters.


Parties dissatisfied with a decision of a U.S. district court, the U.S. Court of Claims, and/or the U.S. Court of International Trade may appeal to a U.S. court of appeals.

A party may ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals,

but the Supreme Court usually is under no obligation to do so. The U.S. Supreme Court is the final arbiter of federal constitutional questions.


The State Court System

The Constitution and laws of each state establish the state courts.

A court of last resort, often known as a supreme court, is usually the highest court in a state. 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.

States also usually have courts that handle specific legal matters, e.g., probate court (wills and estates); juvenile court; family court; etc.

Parties dissatisfied with the decision of the trial court may take their cases to the intermediate court of appeals.

Parties have the option to ask the highest state court to hear the case.

Only certain state court cases are eligible for review by the U.S. Supreme Court.