United States Court System
The United States court system strives to reflect and epitomize everything that America stands for; justice, equality and freedom. ... Weather the issue at hand is a criminal case, a law suit, or a civil issue, the United States court system promises the chance to prove yourself in the eyes of an unbiased judge and jury. The American Court system is generally based upon the English Common Law system. ... Each different court has its own interpretation at arriving at this concept. Each of the 50 states has its’ own personal rules, regulations and procedures. ... Generally each and every court is extremely similar, each basically following the “three tiered” layout. A case is usually brought at the lowest level or court, which is usually a District or Trial court. Once the case is heard and a judgment has been made, the defendant and the plaintiff both have the opportunity to appeal the trial or district courts decision to an Appellate Court, or A Court of Appeals. ... They can complain to the next higher level in the court system, and attempt to get the decision reversed. ... Appeals are a very common process in the court system. At the Appellate Court level, there is usually a panel of three judges who listen to arguments on either side. The judges of the Appellate Court can usually only decide matters of law. ... The Appellate Court is left with three options. ... Finally, it can agree with or "affirm" the judgment of the lower court. If either party has a problem with the conclusion made by the Appellate Court, they have the option to appeal higher yet again. The highest court is called the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is usually composed of nine justices.