The Supreme Court and the Lower Courts
The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States. It consists of 9 justices who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Justices serve life terms. The Supreme Court has both original and appellate jurisdictions.
Appellate jurisdiction is the power of a court to hear appeals from lower courts. An appeal is a legal process in which a higher court reviews the decision of a lower court. The party who is dissatisfied with the lower court’s ruling (called the appellant) requests the higher court (the appellate court) to examine the case and potentially reverse or modify the decision. Appeals are typically based on claims that the lower court made legal errors or misinterpreted the law.
The Supreme Court has the power to decide appeals on all cases brought in federal court or those brought in state court but dealing with federal law.
The Supreme court also has original jurisdiction. Original jurisdiction is the authority of a court to hear a case for the first time. As described on the United States Courts website: The Constitution limits original jurisdiction cases [in the Supreme Court] to those involving disputes between the states or disputes arising among ambassadors and other high-ranking ministers. Most of the cases the Supreme Court hears are appeals from lower courts. For more detailed information about the Supreme Court, feel free to visit the US Courts website.
Lower Courts
In addition to the Supreme Court, the Judicial Branch is made up of Lower Courts. These include courts of appeals and district courts, which handle federal cases.
| Vocabulario Esencial | |
| La Corte Suprema(El Tribunal Supremo) | The Supreme Court |
| Revisión Judicial | Judicial Review |
| Jurisdicción Original | Original Jurisdiction |
| Jurisdicción de Apelación | Appellate Jurisdiction |
| Apelación | Appeal |