There are thirteen US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts below the US Supreme Court:
The court directly under the Supreme Court of the United States is the Courts of Appeals, also known as Circuit Courts. There are 13 appellate courts that review decisions made by federal district courts and some administrative agencies. Each circuit court serves a specific geographic area, and their rulings can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
The circuit courts fall into this category.
There are three levels of Federal courts under the Supreme Court.
Courts of appeals review decisions made by lower courts and serve as a step between them and the next higher court, which is usually the supreme court at the state or federal level. They were created to promote efficiency and eliminate backlogs for higher courts.
The U.S. Supreme Court can hear appeals both from the U.S. Courts of Appeals ("Circuit Courts") and the state courts of last resort (often--but not always--called the state's supreme court). The Supreme Court's power to consider appeals from the state courts was confirmed in the case Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, and is meant to ensure some level of uniformity.The US Supreme Court can also hear certain cases on expedited appeal directly from US District Courts. This is most likely to occur when one of the parties is a high-ranking government official, or if Congress has specified an expedited appellate process in a particular statute.Most appeals to the US Supreme Court originate with the US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts; however, under special circumstances, cases may be appealed directly from any of the courts listed below:US Court of Appeals Circuit CourtsUS District CourtsState supreme courts (or their equivalent)State intermediate appellate courtsUS Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
The Constitution established only one federal court in the Judicial Branch, the Supreme Court. It left to Congress' discretion the creation of other federal courts under its authority in Article III (the constitutional courts) and Article I.The three most widely used courts in the federal judiciary are:US District Courts: The US and its territories are divided into 94 federal judicial districts, each with its own district court. These are the courts where cases are tried.US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts: The District Courts are divided among 12 geographical regions, called Circuits. Each circuit has its own Court of Appeals. There is also a thirteenth Circuit, the Federal Circuit which has nationwide jurisdiction over special subject matter, such as cases from the US Court of Federal Claims. If a person looses a case in the district court that person can appeal the case to the appropriate Court of Appeals Circuit Court.Supreme Court of the United States: The Supreme Court is the highest of the federal courts. Cases from the Circuit Courts and those involving federal question jurisdiction from the state supreme courts can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
In the United States, the US Supreme Court and any inferior court Congress creates under the authority of Article III of the Constitution are "constitutional courts," although they are rarely referred to as such. Some examples include: The Supreme Court of the United States US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts US District Court US Bankruptcy Court US Court of Claims
The US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts only review cases under their appellate jurisdiction; the US Supreme Court hears most of the cases it selects under appellate jurisdiction, but considers disputes between the states under original (trial) jurisdiction.
Supreme Court and lower federal courts
Constitutional federal courts are either created or allowed to be created under Article III of the Constitution. For instance, federal district courts and circuit court of appeals are Constitutional federal courts. The Supreme Court also falls under the category of Constitutional Federal Courts and it is the highest court in America. Legislative federal courts, on the other hand, are established by Congress using implied power. For instance, the Court of Military Appeals is a legislative federal court.
Local trial courts may appear in a township or locale. They may also be under the jurisdiction of the county.
Most states have three levels; some have more. The exact number of levels and their names depend on the state. The most common three levels are the trial court, the appellate court, and the supreme court. The higher-level courts hear appeals of the cases decided in the trial courts. In some states, the names are different. For example, in New York, the trial courts (depending on where you are and what kind of case you have) are called Supreme Courts, Family Courts, County Courts, District Courts, City Courts, Town Courts, or Village Courts; the intermediate appellate court is the Appellate Division, and the highest appellate court is the Court of Appeals. You can check out the New York court system at the related link below - or you can go from there to check out the court court system in any state on CourtReference.