Running head: Major Court Systems

Major Court Systems
Shannon Armstrong, John Bridges Jr., Toni Burgess-Dowdell Deborah Camou, Bill Carnegie
University of Phoenix
CJA-500: Survey of Justice and Security
Instructor: Joseph Gutheinz Jr., J.D.
January 25, 2010
Major Court Systems

Introduction Courts in the United States consist of two systems; the federal courts and state courts. Each state legislature sets up their court system the way they see fit. The different types of courts are district courts, family courts, criminal courts, civil courts, appellate courts, and some states even have traffic courts. The federal government has more authority, yet the federal role tends to have a more narrow approach. The federal court system is more specialized, whereas state courts have to address numerous issues on many different levels. The following is an overview of the various court systems.
U.S. Supreme Court “The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the United States” (Federal Judicial Center). Article III §1, of the U.S. Constitution establishes the Supreme Court’s authority. The Constitution does not clearly provide for the authority of judicial review by the Court. “The Court’s authority to review laws and executive actions and determine their constitutionality is an established and accepted precedent” (Federal Judicial Center). The Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices govern the court. These Justices are appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The current Chief Justice is John G. Roberts, Jr. “The Associate Justices are John Paul Stevens, Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, Lawrence Thomas, Ruth Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Sonia Sotomayor” (Supreme Court of the United States). The Court is an appellate court but may exercise jurisdiction over cases involving