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6.3 %u2022 Organization of the Federal Judiciary 197or the government. A jury or a judge might decide civil cases.The State CourtsWhile our focus is on the federal judiciary, it is important to note that state courts handle the vast majority of court cases in the United States. Although states vary in how their judicial systems are structured and organized%u2014including how judges are selected (some are appointed, and some are elected)%u2014the state court systems share a few common traits. State judicial systems handle both criminal and civil cases. Each state has a system of trial courts that does most of the work, handles cases arising under that state%u2019s laws, and possesses original jurisdiction. States also operate systems of specialized courts that typically handle issues like traffic violations, family disputes, and small claims (refer to Figure 6.2).More than half of the states have an intermediate system of appeals courts, which have appellate jurisdiction. Each state has at least one state supreme court, which acts as the highest court in that state%u2019s system and as the final level of appeal in that state.63A few types of cases that arise in the states may proceed from the highest state court of appeals to the federal judiciary. These types of cases generally involve a question arising under the Constitution, such as a claim that an individual%u2019s constitutional rights have been violated.The Federal District CourtsThe federal court system is structured as a three-layered pyramid (Figure 6.2). At the bottom are the nation%u2019s federal district courts. Congress created the district courts in the Judiciary Act of 1789. In most federal cases, district courts act as trial courts and have original jurisdiction. As of 2023,64 there were ninety-four district courts in the United States, and each state had at least one (refer to Figure 6.3). District court boundaries do not cut across state lines. The district courts handle most of the work of the federal courts, and a judge hears each case. The Constitution guarantees the right to a jury trial in all federal criminal cases (Sixth Amendment) and in some civil cases (Seventh Amendment).65The Appellate CourtsThe federal courts of appeals occupy the middle level of the constitutional courts. There are thirteen courts of appeals; eleven have jurisdiction over regionally based %u201ccircuits,%u201d one has jurisdiction over the District of Columbia (which handles appeals involving federal agencies), and the thirteenth handles cases arising under international trade and patent law. (In Figure 6.3, the number of each regional circuit appears in a black circle.) The courts of appeals exercise appellate jurisdiction only, reviewing decisions made by the federal district courts and certain specialized federal courts.federal district courtsthe lowest level of the federal judiciary; these courts usually have original jurisdiction in cases that start at the federal level.federal courts of appealsthe middle level of the federal judiciary; these courts review and hear appeals from the federal district courts.FIGURE 6.2The Modern Court SystemThe U.S. Supreme CourtFederal Courtsof Appeals (13)Special courts(bankruptcy, tax,and others)Federal DistrictCourts (94)State Supreme Courts (51)Lower State Courts(some states alsohave an intermediateappellate court)Special courts(probate, family,juvenile)Federal CourtsEstablished by the U.S.ConstitutionState CourtsEstablished by thelaws of each state%u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.