Reference: US federal court system
Reference information: federal court system is a three-tier system Introduction To The Federal Court System The federal court system has three main levels: district courts (the trial court), circuit courts which are the first level of appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States, the final level of appeal in the federal system. There are 94 district courts, 13 circuit courts, and one Supreme Court throughout the country. District Courts The district courts are the general trial courts of the federal court system. Each district court has at least one United States District Judge, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a life term. District courts handle trials within the federal court system – both civil and criminal. The districts are the same as those for the U.S. Attorneys, and the U.S. Attorney is the primary prosecutor for the federal government in his or her respective area. .... Circuit Courts Once the federal district court has decided a case, the case can be appealed to a United States court of appeal. There are twelve federal circuits that divide the country into different regions. The Fifth Circuit, for example, includes the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Cases from the district courts of those states are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. Additionally, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has a nationwide jurisdiction over very specific issues such as patents. .... Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the American judicial system, and has the power to decide appeals on all cases brought in federal court or those brought in state court but dealing with federal law. For example, if a First Amendment freedom of speech case was decided by the highest court of a state (usually the state supreme court), the case could be appealed to the federal Supreme Court. However, if that same case were decided entirely on a state law similar to the First Amendment, the Supreme Court of the United States would not be able to consider the case. .... https://www.justice.gov/usao/justice-101/federal-courts
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The State court system is a three-tier system as well (in general: Trial Courts/Local Courts ; Intermediate Courts of Appeal ; State Supreme Court). We may be dealing with the State Court system here, rather than the federal court system, since this applies to North Carolina specifically: North Carolina Judicial Branch Types of Courts The courts of the North Carolina Judicial Branch are split into three divisions. Appellate Division Superior Court Division District Court Division Appellate Division Supreme Court The Supreme Court is the state’s highest court. This court has a Chief Justices and six associate justices, who sit as a body and decide cases appealed from lower courts, including the Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court has no jury, and it makes no determination of fact; rather it considers only questions of law, which means resolving a party’s claim that there were errors in legal procedures or in judicial interpretation of the law in the trial court or the Court of Appeals. Learn more. Court of Appeals The Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court that was created to relieve the Supreme Court of a portion of its heavy caseload. Like the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals decides only questions of law. It has 15 judges, who sit in panels of three to hear cases. One of the judges is the Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Learn more. Superior Court Division Unlike the appellate division that decides only questions of law when a party appeals a case, the Superior and District Court divisions are the trial court divisions that hold trials, and empanel juries to determine the facts of cases. Superior courts hear cases involving felony crimes, civil cases involving $25,000 or more, and appeals from district courts. This court “sits” (holds court) at least twice a year in each county of the state. In the busiest counties, several sessions may be held concurrently each week. Learn more. District Court Division Like the superior court division, district courts hold trials and empanel juries to determine the facts of specific cases. District courts handle serious, but lower level crimes, and civil cases between $10,000 - $25,000. The state is divided into district court districts where the court usually sits in the county seat of each county. Each district has a chief district court judge who manages the administrative duties of the court. Learn more. Magistrates hold court in both civil and criminal matters as officers of the district court under the authority of the chief district court judge. In the civil context, magistrates are generally assigned to preside over “small claims” court which hears disputes for claims under $10,000. For criminal matters, magistrates conduct certain preliminary proceedings and are authorized to dispose of some cases by pleas of guilt or by trial.
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In Nederland heb je ook drie lagen: De rechtbank Het gerechtshof De Hoge Raad. Als je de kwestie met de Nederlandse situatie zou vergelijken (maar is dat mogelijk en moet je dat doen?), zou dat 'GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE' een 'rechtbank' zijn en 'DISTRICT COURT DIVISION' het laagste gerecht in het rechtssysteem.
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