Federal courts hear what kind of cases

Each federal district is designated within one of the several federal circuits. The Federal District Court is the only federal court with jurisdiction or authority over civilians who commit federal crimes. Other federal courts hear specific types of disputes. The United States Court of International Trade hears cases involving international trade and customs issues. While the power of the federal courts is strictly limited, the following are the types of cases that district courts can hear and decide:.

For most of these cases, a plaintiff can choose to bring these cases in either a Federal District Court or a state court. Only federal courts can conduct trials of patent and copyright infringement disputes and prosecutions for federal crimes.

As of , there were federal district court judges. The number of judges and the structure of the judicial system generally is set by Congress. The President appoints the federal judges subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. There are 94 federal judicial districts, including at least one district in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Three territories of the United States—the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—have district courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases.

Bankruptcy Courts Each of the 94 federal judicial districts handles bankruptcy matters, and in almost all districts, bankruptcy cases are filed in the bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy cases cannot be filed in state court. Bankruptcy laws help people who can no longer pay their creditors get a fresh start by liquidating their assets to pay their debts, or by creating a repayment plan. Bankruptcy laws also protect troubled businesses and provide for orderly distributions to business creditors through reorganization or liquidation.

The vast majority of cases are filed under the three main chapters of the Bankruptcy Code, which are Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter Courts of Special Jurisdiction These include the U. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the U. Court of Federal Claims, the U. Take no action on the nomination in which case the nomination eventually dies when the Congress adjourns. Approve the nomination and send it to the floor of the Senate for a vote. Disapprove a nomination , in which case the nomination is usually dead although in some extraordinary cases a nomination can be brought before the full Senate for a vote, even though the majority of the Senators on the Judiciary Committee felt the candidate was not qualified.

If the confirmation goes before the full Senate, then the nomination is once again voted on. In both the Judiciary Committee and the full Senate, votes may pass or fail by a recorded roll call vote or by voice vote. Constitution, once confirmed a federal judge may serve a lifetime appointment, or until he or she retires. Article III also guarantees that the judges' salaries cannot be reduced.

These provisions were put in place to ensure that judges were not afraid to make unpopular decisions. Congress can remove a sitting judge through a very lengthy process known as impeachment and conviction, although it has only chosen to do this a few times in the history of our country. Under Article II of the U. Constitution, the President has the power to fill vacancies that may exist when the Senate is in recess. These appointments are only temporary, however, as they expire at the end of the Congressional session.

As a rule, the President does not make wholesale recess appointments as it may antagonize members of the Senate and may result in some Senators refusing to consider the nominees for a permanent position or voting against other nominations in retaliation.

The federal courts, from the district courts and up to the U. Supreme Court, have the final say on issues that have an effect on the lives of every American, including basic civil rights, religious freedoms, voting rights, affirmative action, and in some cases life or death. The Courts have historically been one of the main avenues we have for promoting and protecting our civil rights.

It is for this reason that we must ensure that the men and women who are appointed and confirmed to lifetime appointments to the federal bench are fair minded and not interested in promoting an extremist, right-wing agenda. We should pay close attention to all judicial nominations.

In recent years, a concentrated attempt has been made to pack the district and circuit courts with extreme, right-wing judges. Know the Issues Trending Topics. Action Alert: Voting Policy. Action Alert: Cancel Student Debt.