Examination of the Federal Judiciary

The federal judiciary of the United States is split into, essentially, one court system for the national government and one for each of the states. The federal courts are then split up further. The first level of federal courts are the district courts, including the U.S. Tax Court, followed by the U.S. courts of appeal, which includes the U.S. Claims Court and the Court of International Trade. On the top of the …

…for itself whether or not to accept any given case. Congress, on the other hand, determines the size of the Supreme Court and the appellate jurisdiction of thereof, a good example of the checks and balances system. And as the highest appellate court in the federal court system, decisions and opinions made by the Supreme Court become the most important sources of precedent on federal and constitutional questions for courts at all levels of jurisdiction.