The US judicial system and its structure

The US judicial power , like in any other democratic country, is one of the three pillars of the state system. Along with the President and the Congress, the Supreme Court, according to the Constitution of the United States of America, is one of the highest organs of the hierarchy, with the powers of government. But since the country is a community of practically independent regions, a characteristic feature of its judicial system is the absence of a unified system. We can say that on the territory of the state at the same time there are more than 50 separate, parallel judicial systems in each state and a separate federal network.

The absence of a single vertical line that permeates the whole structure of American justice is explained by the historical prerequisites that have influenced the formation of the legal system of each state. However, it is possible to single out the main features of the division of the organs of justice on which the American judicial system is based. These three (in small states or districts, or in the size of the population, there are two) levels of general jurisdiction, which are supplemented by all kinds of institutions with limited powers. The first step in this structure is the district courts of general jurisdiction. They initially listen to civil and criminal cases, except those that, according to their specifics, should be considered by specialized departments.

The US judicial system has generated a lot of such special specialized institutions. In other countries, this is mainly military tribunals, but here we see a wide range of different lawsuits and cases that are sent to these bodies. This can be, for example, the processes on the issues of minors, domestic violence, bankruptcy, litigation because of the territorial division of land between the owners, cases concerning taxes, foreign trade, and others. In the district courts of general jurisdiction, there are federal magistrates who have auxiliary functions, and also conduct cases for minor offenses for which no more than $ 1000 fine or a year of imprisonment is provided by law.

If the citizen wishes to challenge the verdict or the decision of the first-instance court, the US judicial system gives him this opportunity: it is only necessary to send the correspondingly filed complaint to one of the 13 appellate instances that were established in 1891 and constitute an intermediate step between the district collegiums and the Supreme Court USA. The territorial jurisdiction of each such court extends to a different number of states (three to ten). The meetings are attended by a special member of the US Supreme Court, assigned to this institution.

At the federal level, the US judicial system is embodied in various instances of the "supernumerary" level and the Supreme Court of the country as the main body. There are nine judges in it. All of them are appointed by the President and pass the approval procedure in the Senate. Over and appoint the President of the Supreme Court. Decisions in this body are accepted by the quorum when six people vote for it. The jurisdiction of this court includes the examination of complaints against institutions of the lower instance if they address issues of federal importance or the decision was made on the basis of laws that are contrary to the Constitution of the United States of America. As the first stage of the process, federal courts deal with inter-state lawsuits or cases involving patents, maritime communications, copyrights, and foreign ambassadors.

The judicial system of the United States is not limited to the borders of the country. The powers of the district authorities also apply in four territories in other countries (for example, in Puerto Rico) under the control of the United States. As we see, the extensive system of justice gives the US citizen protection and the right to appeal at all levels. To this long list one can also add tribal colleges operating in the reserves of the indigenous population. They deal with litigation between Indians - members of the settlement.