Federal Courts

“The primary function of the federal courts is to apply and enforce all federal laws created by Congress. These laws include a large amount of federal criminal laws that range from violations of environmental laws to treason and piracy;” (Adler 2006) they also “handle such cases dealing bankruptcy, maritime cases, and patent and copyright violations” (World Book, 1993). “The federal courts are called on often to test the constitutionality of federal and state legislation and of court decisions” (Adler 2006). “The federal courts get their authority from the United States Constitution and from federal laws” (World Book, 1993), this means that this is the laws that the federal courts uphold. “The trail courts in the federal system are called the United States district courts; they have both civil and criminal jurisdiction. There are ninety-four federal district courts, including those in Guam, the Virgin Islands, the northern Marianas, and Puerto Rice. Every state has at least one of these courts; those states with a higher population may have more than one” (Adler, 2006). The district courts are the courts that hundreds of people daily are called upon to be selected for jury duty and decide the outcome of the case. “Within the limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the district courts have jurisdiction to hear almost all federal cases, including both civil and criminal matters” (www.uscourts.gov). “There are two trial courts that have nationwide jurisdiction over certain types of cases. The first one is the Court of International Trade which addresses cases involving international trade and different custom issues. The other is the United States of Federal Claims which has jurisdiction over most claims of money damages against the United States, Disputes over federal contracts, unlawful taking of private property by the federal government, and many other claims against the United States” (www.uscourts.gov).