Jurisdiction of Federal Courts in the United States

Jurisdiction of Federal Courts in Constitution

The Constitution grants the Supreme Court of the United States original jurisdiction over cases affecting ambassadors and public ministers and cases in which a state is a party, leaving the remainder of cases within the judicial power to the Court’s appellate jurisdiction.

One of the clearest Congressional powers is the power of Congress to regulate the jurisdiction of federal “[t]ribunals inferior to the Supreme Court.” See article III of the Constitution.

Court Administration

The judicial branches of the federal and state governments are separate from the legislative and executive branches. To insure judicial independence, the judicial branches of the federal and state governments control the administration of the courts. Court administration includes managing court budgets, prescribing rules of trial and appellate procedure, reviewing judicial discipline matters, offering continuing educational programs for judges,
and studying court performance.

In the federal judiciary, the Judicial Conference of the United States, made up of 27 members (the Chief Justice of the United States and 26 judges from each geographic region of the United States) has overall administrative responsibility for the courts and has primary authority to make policy regarding the operation of the judicial branch of the government. The Judicial Conference is assisted by a large number of committees made up of federal judges (and sometimes also state court judges and attorneys) who study different parts of the federal court system and make recommendations. An important responsibility of the Judicial Conference is to recommend changes in the rules of procedure used by all federal courts.

Congress has created three administrative agencies within the judicial branch. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts manages the day-to-day operations of the courts, including such matters as payroll, equipment, and supplies. The Federal Judicial Center conducts educational and training programs for judges and court personnel and does
research in the fields of court operations and administration. The U.S. Sentencing Commission develops advisory guidelines for federal judges in imposing criminal sentences.

In most state court systems, the state supreme court has overall administrative authority
over the court system. It is assisted by an administrative office. The chief justice of the
state supreme court usually appoints the director of the state court administrative office.

Jurisdiction of Appelate Courts in the United States: Jurisdiction of federal courts of appeal

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has jurisdiction on all the United States to hear appeals in specialized cases, such as those involving patent laws, and cases decided by the U.S. Court of International Trade and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. See the entry on the Jurisdiction of Federal Appelate Courts in the United States. A court of appeals, in this issue of jurisdiction of federal courts of appeal, decides appeals from the district courts within its federal judicial circuit, and in some instances from other designated federal courts and administrative agencies

Jurisdiction of Other Federal Courts in Federal Practice and Procedure

This section provides comprehensive coverage of the main aspects of jurisdiction of other federal courts in relation to federal procedure, including an analysis of the rules as interpreted and applied by the federal courts and affected by related federal statutes and regulations.

Federal Jurisdiction and Related Matters in relation to this Topic

Find out some information in this legal Encyclopedia relating to this topic and the Federal Jurisdiction and related matters.

Jurisdiction of Federal Courts in the Context of Federal Question Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction of Federal Courts Under Alien Tort Statute in International Civil Litigation

Analysis of the Jurisdiction of Federal Courts Under Alien Tort Statute in relation to the Subject Matter Jurisdiction of U.S. Courts in International Disputes.

The Alien Tort Statute

Read more information about The Alien Tort Statute in this American Encyclopedia of Law.

Filartiga and Tel-Oren

Read more information about Filartiga and Tel-Oren in this American Encyclopedia of Law.

Other Cases

Read more information about Sosa v. Alvaraz-Machain, FILARTIGA v. PENAIRALA SOSA v. ALVARAZ-MACHAIN TORTURE VICTIM PROTECTION ACT. See Notes on Filartiga, Sosa and TVPA in this American Encyclopedia of Law.

American Courts

List of some regional courts in America: American Courts, Court of Justice of the Andean Community, Caribbean Court of Justice, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Central American Court of Justice, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, NAFTA Dispute Settlement Panels.

Jurisdiction of Federal Courts Definition