Dual courts
The typical state court system is comprised of three primary courts that is the state supreme court, the intermediate of appeals, and the superior courts. The superior courts are the ones that deal with significant cases that are heard in this court. Also, they can be referred to as the special courts under this category, just like the juvenile and family courts. After a case is heard in the superior court, and either party seeks an appeal, they move to the intermediate court, whereby the decision is reached through a forum state. The intermediate court works similarly to the United States Appellate Court as it can hear a case from the lower courts. However, this court does not consider the facts of a previous decision on a particular case to make a decision. The third type of court under this umbrella it’s the state supreme court that is as same as the united states supreme court such it only hears cases that question the application of the laws. There is no other higher court to the state supreme court; thus, it is regarded as the court of the last resort since it questions state law violations.
The main differences between the federal courts and state courts systems are that the states establish federal courts can also be referred to as the local courts established by the counties and municipalities. On the other hand, the federal courts are established as per the united states constitution to help I solving disputes that involve the federal and constitutional laws passed by congress. Another difference is that compared to federal laws, state courts have a broader jurisdiction as it deals with cases the citizens are mostly involved such as broken contracts, family disputes, robberies, and traffic violations tried in state courts. On the other hand, federal court jurisdiction is limited only to the cases limited to the constitution. Such cases include violations of constitutional laws and governmental regulations, bankruptcy, maritime, and patent law cases.
Responses
Kassandra
I agree with you, Kassandra, that typical court system handles individual cases, and family and juvenile courts are included in this umbrella. However, you could have gone further and listed the three typical courts in the system in your post. These courts are superior, intermediate, and supreme courts. Also, I like how you differentiate between the federal and the state courts that state courts deal with local cases. In contrast, the federal courts are concerned with the cases that involve violations of constitutional laws.
Quanta
Your description of the state court system as a pyramid-shaped is fantastic. This is because these courts are arranged in hierarchical order. For instance, a case from the superior court can be heard by the intermediate court and then the supreme court in which case it is the final court. I also learn from your comparison that federal courts lacks a lower court to handle minor cases. Could this be as a result of them handling constitutional cases? . Also I agree with you that the supreme court hears appeals from both the state and federal courts.