Federal Court Basics
Part 007

What Kinds of Cases Are Tried in Federal Court l

As the preceding numbers suggest, federal courts do not have the broad jurisdiction that state courts have. Federal court jurisdiction is limited to the specific types of cases listed in the Constitution and specifically provided for by Congress. For the most part, federal ( only hear cases in which the United States is a party, cases involving violations of the Constitution or federal laws, cases between citizen of different states, and some special kinds of cases, such as bankruptcy cases, patent cases, and cases involving maritime law.

Some cases are such that only federal courts have jurisdiction over them. In other cases, the parties can choose whether to go to state or to federal court. In most cases, however, they can only go to state court.

Although the federal courts hear significantly fewer cases tho state courts, the cases they do hear tend more often to be of national importance, because of the federal laws they enforce and the federal rights they protect.

Most cases in federal courts are civil rather than criminal. As described earlier, one type of federal civil case might involve a claim by a private citizen that a company failed to carry out its duty under the law‑for example, that the company refused to hire the person simply because she was a woman. Another kind of federal civil case might be a lawsuit by a private citizen claiming that he is entitled to receive money under a government program, such as benefits from Social Security. A third type of federal civil lawsuit might require the court to decide whether a corporation is violating federal laws by having a monopoly over a certain kind of business.

Appeals for review of actions by federal administrative agencies are also federal civil cases. Suppose, for example, that the Environmental Protection Agency issued a permit to a paper mill to discharge water used in its milling process into the Scenic River, over the objection of area residents. The residents could ask a federal court to review the agency's decision. Administrative agency actions are usually reviewed directly by the courts of appeals, not by the district courts.

There are many more federal civil cases than criminal cases because most crimes concern problems that the Constitution leaves to the states. We all know, for example, that robbery is a crime. But what law says it is a crime? By and large, state laws, not federal laws, make robbery a crime. There are only a few federal laws about robbery, such as the law that makes it a federal crime to rob a bank whose deposits are insured by a federal agency. Examples of other federal crimes are illegal importation of drugs into the country and use of the U.S. mails to swindle consumers.

Federal courts also hear bankruptcy matters. Bankruptcy laws enable people or businesses who can no longer pay their creditors as their debts come due to organize their affairs, liquidate their debts or create a plan to pay them off, and get a fresh start. There is a whole code of laws that sets out how the parties involved in a bankruptcy case should pro­ceed: the bankruptcy code. Bankruptcy judges decide matters that arise under the code.

Federal Court Basics-Table of Contents
Part 003-Map: Geographical boundaries of U.S. Courts of Appeals and U.S. District Courts-pdf

California State Bar Court Reports | Master Table of Contents | Spanish Dictionaries |Check Your Credit Score
Thomas - Legislative Information on the Internet | Entertainment  | UN Treaty Reference Guide
Directory of Medical Dictionaries  | California Injury (Torts) Law | Yaazoo!
Florida Fun | Law Dictionary | White House | US Government | White House | US Government    
eWorld Guide | US Courts| Law Students-US | State Courts | California Criminal Law | California Appeals 
 California Contracts Law.Com | California Injury (Torts) Law | iBusiness Center | California Writs
Yaazoo! | Abogados Latinos   | Agogados De Accidentes  | United States History | Spanish
California State Rules of Court | Injury Attorneys | California Legal Forms | Federal Rules of Evidence