Judicial branch 1

• Constitutional courts


  • Created by Congress under Article 11
  • Hear a wide range of criminal and civil cases that involve Federal laws
• Judges of Constitutional courts

  • Have protections written into the Constitution
  • Cannot be fired
  • May only be removed through Impeachment
  • Their salaries may not be reduced while they are holding office
• Constitutional courts


  • 94 District Courts
  • 12 US Courts of Appeals
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal circuit
  • US Court of International Trade
• District Courts


  Trial courts with original jurisdiction (they hear cases first)
• Cases in District Courts

  1. Tried by juries

  2. Heard in the District court in the state where the crime was committed
• Federal courts


  • Have original jurisdiction for bankruptcy cases
  • Each District Court has a Bankruptcy Court and judges to handle bankruptcy cases
  • They do not hear appeals
• There are 94 District Courts
• There are at least 1 District Court in each state
• The purpose of the judicial branch is to interpret federal laws
• Article III is the section of the Constitution that lays out the roles and powers of the judicial branch
• One of the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that there was no national court or national judiciary