The opinions and decisions made by the US Supreme Court define federal law. There is no higher court and no further appeal. All local, state and federal courts are essentially bound by the decisions of the USSC.
If the USSC decision is not unanimous, the majority opinion is the binding decision.
When a Supreme Court "dissents" it is disagreeing with the majority opinion.
When a Supreme Court "dissents" it is disagreeing with the majority opinion.
When a Supreme Court "dissents" it is disagreeing with the majority opinion.
Opinion
appellate courts (or courts of appeals)
No. Only trial courts use juries. The job of the jury is to determine issues of fact. The job of a judge is to determine issues of law. After the trial court is over there may be an appeal. The appellate court will review issues of law. They do not review issues of fact except for extreme cases. Supreme courts will hear cases in which there are complex issues of law that need review or clarification.
The US Supreme Court only has limited power over the state courts because state laws and state constitutional issues that aren't in conflict with the US Constitution lay outside the Supreme Court's jurisdiction.
Yes. The US Supreme Court has highest appellate jurisdiction in the US. The other constitutional courts of the Judicial Branch -- the 94 US District Court, 13 US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts, US Court of International Trade -- are below the Supreme Court. There are also courts in the Legislative Branch of government, such as Bankruptcy Courts and US Tax Courts, that are lower than the Supreme Court.
Appeals A+
The Supreme Court of the United States for federal law and US constitutional issues or the equivalent in the state court systems for matters involving state and municipal laws and state constitutional issues. While most state courts of final appeal are called [State name] "supreme court," a few courts use other designations. For example, in New York the high court is called the New York State Court of Appeals.
No, you do not automatically get a writ of certiorari when called to the Supreme Court. A writ of certiorari is a discretionary order issued by the Supreme Court to review a lower court's decision. The Court grants this writ if it believes the case raises significant legal issues or conflicts among different courts.
There are three levels of federal courts. U.S. District Court - U.S. Courts of Appeal - The U.S. Supreme Court.