One System, Many Courts: Making Sense of the Maze

Introduction

Did you know that the Supreme Court has its own eras? Indeed, for every Chief Justice’s term, there is an era called the “[Chief Justice’s name] Court.” For example, our current era is known as the Roberts Court, after our current Chief Justice John Roberts. Different eras have distinct impacts on criminal court cases throughout the nation. After all, our criminal court system is a core part of our democracy—ensuring that every accused person’s constitutional rights to a fair trial and an attorney (and more) are upheld.

State versus Federal Courts

One of the key distinctions within the court system is between federal and state courts. Criminal prosecutions will take place in the respective court for the charge. This means a federal charge is always prosecuted in federal court, and a state charge is always prosecuted in state court.  

Jurisdiction 

Jurisdiction is defined as a court’s authority to hear a matter. For example, a California court has jurisdiction over cases in California. There are two main types of jurisdiction: original and appellate. Original jurisdiction is the first review of a case. A court with original jurisdiction has the authority to conduct a trial and accept evidence. Appellate jurisdiction refers to the second review, or a court’s power to review an appeal of the trial for error. Sometimes, federal and state jurisdictions overlap (see Overlapping Jurisdictions to learn more).

Federal Courts

Federal courts have three tiers: a trial court, intermediate court of appeal, and high court of appeal. These include the following:

Tier	Name of the court
Federal trial court	United States District Court Example: First Street United States Courthouse 350 W 1st St,  Los Angeles, CA 90012
Federal intermediate appellate court	United States Court of Appeals (Circuit Courts) Example:  The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is the California Circuit. Example court: Richard H. Chambers U.S. Court of Appeals 125 S Grand Ave,  Pasadena, CA 91105
Federal high appeal court	United States Supreme Court Example: located in Washington D.C. at  1 First St NE,  Washington, D.C. 20543

Each federal jurisdiction has its own rules that are designed for the court to run efficiently.

The federal circuit (intermediate appeal) courts are divided into thirteen courts. Twelve of those courts are divided geographically. One of them (the federal circuit) is specifically for national issues. All thirteen circuits, and how they are divided, are pictured below.

Credit: LexisNexis

The federal trial court (United States District Court) can hear federal trials. On appeal, these cases move to the United States Courts of Appeals (Circuit Courts). For a final appeal, they can submit a petition called a writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court. However, it is rare to be granted writ (a review) by the United States Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court does not grant writ, then the appeal decision from the Circuit Court is upheld or “affirmed.” 

State Courts 

The state courts have similar tiers. On appeal, the trial case moves to the intermediate court of appeal usually called the State Court of Appeals. A final level of appeal is the high court of appeal, the State Supreme Court. It is less exclusive than the United States Supreme Court. So long as there is reasonable standing for appeal, the State Supreme Court should hear the appeal. To exemplify, in California the tiers of state courts are:

Tier	Name of the court
State trial court	California Superior Court Example:  Torrance Courthouse 825 Maple Ave. Torrance, CA 90503
State intermediate appellate court	California Court of Appeals Example: Ronald Reagan State Building 300 S. Spring Street 2nd Floor, North Tower Los Angeles, CA 90013
State high appeal court	California Supreme Court Example: Earl Warren Building 350 McAllister Street San Francisco, CA 94102

If a state case involves a federal issue, it can appeal one last time. It can move from the State Supreme Court to the United States Supreme Court. Nevertheless, it is still up to the United States Supreme Court to grant writ (which means allowing the state case to be heard). An example of a state criminal case reaching the Supreme Court is Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). Miranda confessed to kidnapping and rape during his interrogation, without having been informed of his right to remain silent (Fifth Amendment) and to an attorney (Sixth Amendment). His confession was used as evidence during trial, where he was convicted. Miranda appealed his case all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court, which upheld the conviction. Then, Miranda appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which reversed his conviction and established the “Miranda Rights” rule. Miranda Rights refer to the requirement for law enforcement to inform suspects in law enforcement custody of their constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney, before the suspects are questioned. 

State versus Federal Judges

State and federal courts have different judges. 

Federal	State
Supreme Court Justice Appellate Judge District Judge Magistrate Judge	State Supreme Court Justice Appellate Judge Superior Court/Trial Judge Commissioner

For an overview of the court system, review the chart below.

Conclusion

In sum, courts can vary in their jurisdiction (original or appellate) to hear a case and their jurisdiction. Generally, the distinction between the federal and state courts, particularly for criminal charges, is based on whether state or federal law was violated. Nonetheless, there can still be overlap between state and federal authority over a case. You may visit Overlapping Jurisdictions to learn more. Should you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.