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The Federal Process

The Judicial System

The basic federal trial court is the district court. In all the states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, district courts have federal jurisdiction only.

Texas has four federal judicial districts: Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western. Judges serve in a district.

Within the districts are divisions. Court convenes within the division in centrally located cities, to which the judge is assigned. Divisions of the federal court district may encompass a number of counties.

Administrative and quasi-judicial agencies in the federal system have court-like powers. Examples are the Tax Court, Federal Trade Commission and the National Labor Relations Board.

An appeal from a district or administrative court is taken to one of the 13 courts of appeals, known technically as U. S. circuit courts of appeal. Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi are in the 5th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals with headquarters in New Orleans.

Appellate court judges have some authority to act on their own, as to stay acts of lower courts. Oral arguments and other hearings on appeal are usually heard before a panel of three judges. The panel is usually from the circuit court, but it may include a district judge. In some instances the court may agree to a rehearing en banc before the entire court.

Appeals from the circuit courts of appeals go to the U. S. Supreme Court, as do those from other lesser-known federal courts. These include the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (which itself handles appeals from another federal court, Customs Court) and the Court of Claims.

The U. S. Supreme Court is the court of final appeal. In some instances, state cases may go directly to the Supreme Court and bypass the lesser appellate courts.

The Supreme Court may decide to review a case or refuse. The review may be based upon documents or the court may call for oral arguments. The court may uphold or reverse the decision of a lower court. Any justice may act separately to halt an action until review.

A decision made by the Supreme Court may affect every court in the nation.