FEDERAL COURTS

I.                   Courts have several dimensions
    A.     Jurisdiction
        1.                  geographical
        2.                  subject matter
        3.                  hierarchical
            a.                        original jurisdiction
            b.                        appellate jurisdiction
        4.                  Trial and appellate courts
    B.     Dual court system (state and federal) 

II.        History of the federal courts begins with 1787
    A.                 Constitutional Convention of 1787
    B.                 Judiciary Act of 1789
    C.                 Court of Appeals Act of 1891 

III.       Federal court system has four levels or layers
    A.                 U.S. Magistrate Courts
        1.                  about 500 magistrate judges
        2.                  are not Article III judges, but help alleviate district caseloads
        3.                  494,000 felonies and 100,000 misdemeanors annually
    B.                 U.S. District Courts
        1.                  680 district judgeships
        2.                  94 districts
        3.                  about 385,000 civil and criminal cases filed annually
    C.                 U.S. Courts of Appeals
        1.                  179 judges
        2.                  12 circuits
        3.                  about 57,000 cases filed annually
    D.                U.S. Supreme Court
        1.                  9 justices (eight associate justices and one chief justice)
        2.                  selects which cases it will hear
        3.                  decides about 80 cases a year

IV.       There are also a number of specialized federal courts
    A.                 Tribal courts
    B.                 Military justice
    C.                 Military non-combatants

V.        Federal judicial administration has components
    A.        Chief Justice
    B.        Judicial Conference of the United States
    C.        Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
    D.        Federal Judicial Center
    E.         Judicial councils
    F.         U.S. Sentencing Commission 

VI.       Federal court caseloads rising in recent years
    A.                 Problems
        1.                  In fifty years, district court filings have increased 600%
        2.                  In fifty years, court of appeals cases have increased 1000%
    B.                 Solutions
        1.                  More federal judges?
        2.                  Reduce federal jurisdiction 

VII.     Consequences of federal involvement in the criminal justice system
    A.                 Limited scope of federal law, as most crimes involve state laws
    B.                 Federal government is a target for symbolic politics and interest groups
    C.                 Federal dollars – unlimited demands but limited resources

VII.     Crime and federal courts today are significant issues
    A.                 Crime will continue to be a major political issue.
    B.                 Federal courts are small part of the nation’s judicial system