The federal court system is divided into three levels: the first and lowest level is the United States district courts, the second, intermediate level is the court of appeals, and the Supreme Court is considered the highest court in the United States.
The United States district courts are the general federal trial courts, although in many cases Congress has passed statutes which divert original jurisdiction to these specialized courts or to administrative law judges (ALJs). In these cases, the district courts have jurisdiction to hear appeals from such lower bodies.
The United States courts of appeals are the federal intermediate appellate courts. They operate under a system of mandatory review which means they must hear all appeals of right from the lower courts. They can make a ruling of their own on the case, or choose to accept the decision of the lower court. In the latter case, many defendants appeal to the Supreme Court.
The highest court is the Supreme Court of the United States, which is considered the court of last resort . It generally is an appellate court that operates under discretionary review. This means that the Court, through granting of writs of certiorari, can choose which cases to hear. There is generally no right of appeal to the Supreme Court. In a few situations, like lawsuits between state governments or some cases between the federal government and a state, the Supreme Court becomes the court of original jurisdiction. In addition, the Constitution specifies that the Supreme Court may exercise original jurisdiction in cases affecting ambassadors and other diplomats, in cases in which a state is a party, and cases between the state and another country. In all other cases, however, the Court has only appellate jurisdiction. It considers cases based on its original jurisdiction very rarely; almost all cases are brought to the Supreme Court on appeal. In practice, the only original jurisdiction cases heard by the Court are disputes between two or more states. Such cases are generally referred to a designated individual, usually a sitting or retired judge, or a well-respected attorney, to sit as a special master and report to the Court with recommendations.
Supreme Court of the United States
The modern supreme court.