U. S. Judicial System

Administrative Support

• Administrative Office of the Courts
• Hold training programs for court personnel
• Court system personnel/HR management
• Budget preparation
• Develop and revise legal forms
• Records management
• Statistical reporting

Federal Court System: Minor Trial Court

U.S. Magistrate’s Court:

- Roughly 560 U.S. Magistrates nationwide

- Serve 8 years terms

- Appointed by Federal District Judges

- Handles 1 million + cases a year nationwide

Federal Court System: Major Trial Court

U.S. District Court:

- Roughly 1,200 U.S. District Court Judges

• * 677 Full-time District Court Judges
• * roughly 500 Senior Status District Court Judges

- Serve for life

- Appointed by the President

- 94 judicial districts

- Roughly 375,000 cases filed/year (80% civil – 20% criminal)

Federal Court System: U.S. District Court Jurisdiction

• Federal crimes (around 200/national jurisdiction)
• Civil cases (patent rights, copyright, anti-trust)
• Bankruptcy cases (775,000/year; 325 judges)
• U.S. a party in a suit
• Appeals from lower courts
• Civil rights violations (Title 7)
• Diversive Jurisdiction (two or more parties from two or more states involving a dispute of $75,000 or more)

Federal Court System: Appellate Court

U.S. Courts of Appeal:

- 179 U.S. Appellate Court Judges

- Serve for life

- Appointed by the President

- Usually sit “in division”

- 13 U.S. Appellate Court circuits or districts

- Nebraska is in the 8th circuit (based in St. Louis)

- Roughly 55,000 cases filed/year nationwide

- Handles appeals from lower courts

- No jury

- Court of law (vs. court of fact)

- De-facto court of last resort