United States legal system
Encyclopedia
The United States
legal system is the full interconnected system of judicial, regulatory and governmental authorities who together administer and enforce the laws of the United States, operate the judicial system, and resolve judicial disputes and appeals. It consists of various official bodies at the federal, state and local levels.
. They also hear any case falling under the jurisdiction of federal agencies. For example, this includes any crime in which a state boundary is crossed, which would then be handled by the FBI.
. Below this are the United States District Courts, for various geographical areas as defined by the United States Congress.
which is actually the lowest-level trial court; its name is based on the fact that it is higher ranked than all administrative and local courts. The highest court in New York is the New York Court of Appeals
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
legal system is the full interconnected system of judicial, regulatory and governmental authorities who together administer and enforce the laws of the United States, operate the judicial system, and resolve judicial disputes and appeals. It consists of various official bodies at the federal, state and local levels.
Various official bodies
Federal courts address any legal issues covered by the statutes of the United States CodeUnited States Code
The Code of Laws of the United States of America is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal laws of the United States...
. They also hear any case falling under the jurisdiction of federal agencies. For example, this includes any crime in which a state boundary is crossed, which would then be handled by the FBI.
Federal courts
The federal court system is made up of several levels of hierarchical court. The top-level court is the United States Supreme Court. Below this are the District Court of AppealsUnited States court of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
. Below this are the United States District Courts, for various geographical areas as defined by the United States Congress.
State courts
State courts take a wide variety of forms, as defined by each state's legislature. For example, in New York, there is a Supreme CourtNew York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
which is actually the lowest-level trial court; its name is based on the fact that it is higher ranked than all administrative and local courts. The highest court in New York is the New York Court of Appeals
New York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...
.