Brief Overview of the United States Judicial System (National Institute)

Brief Overview
The United States has three branches of Government―legislative, executive and judicial. Each has some control over the other and provides for checks and balances.

The judicial system of the American colonies (early to 1775) was generally the practices of the British judicial system—English precedent. At that time the British courts were


 * 1) Common Pleas (private law);
 * 2) King’s Bench (criminal law); and
 * 3) Chancery (equity). The American Colonial System consisted of a variety of similar courts.

Following independence the United States provided for two sources of court control―the federal government (Federal Courts) and the individual states (states have a sovereign capacity and courts are established under state statutes). This dual system, surprisingly, still works today.

Types of Law
The types of law which govern the judicial system of the United States come from six basic sources:


 * Constitutional - Federal and State.


 * Case Law - Made by court through the interpretive process. Commonly referred to as common law which originated in England as a result of decisions by courts based on precedent. The common law is not written in statutes or codes, but by decisions of the courts.


 * The Bill of Rights.


 * Administrative Law - Made and enforced by regulatory agencies (i.e. Environmental Protection Agency, Internal Revenue Service, etc.).


 * Statutory Law - Made by legislative bodies such as Congress or a state legislature.


 * Common Law (English) - Originated in England as a result of decisions by courts based on precedent. The common law is not written in statutes or codes, but by decisions of the courts.

Branches of American Government
Copyright 2011, Iowa Judicial Branch. Reprinted from Iowa Judicial Branch. “Courts at a Glance: For Everyone From Students to Seniors” (accessed Dec 2011), p.2. Used by permission, all rights reserved.



The Colonial Court System



American Court System, 1789-Present



Trial Court
The court of local jurisdiction is where evidence of facts and law are presented and ruled upon by a jury or judge. Generally they are divided into two types:

“courts of general jurisdiction, which are general trial courts that usually handle felony criminal trials and major civil cases”

“courts of limited or special jurisdiction, which typically have jurisdiction to try misdemeanor cases, conduct preliminary hearings for felony offenses, try traffic cases, adjudicate civil matters involving small amounts of money, and handle wills and estates.”

Appellate Court - Intermediate and Last Resort (Supreme Court)
This is a court which has the power to review the judgment or decision of a lower court. When a decision is appealed, a copy of the records (or, infrequently, the originals) of the trial court are provided to the appellate court.

Additional Information

 * United States Court Records