What type of cases do the federal courts NOT usually hear?

Answer 1

The Supreme Court only hears cases that involve an important question of federal or constitutional law.

• They don't hear matters involving state or municipal laws or state constitutions, unless the case involves a conflict between two states, or a law or ordinance repugnant to the US Constitution.
• They don't hear cases from state courts if the federal question (constitutional issue or matter of federal law) was not raised at trial and preserved through the appellate process.
• They don't hear cases involving political questions, such as appeals of impeachment.
• They do not consider frivolous cases, cases intended only as an intellectual exercise, or cases where the decision is moot (petitioner died or the matter was otherwise resolved outside the courts).
• They don't hear cases prohibited by the Constitution or by constitutional Amendment, such as conflicts between the citizens of one state and the government of another (per the 11th Amendment), unless the state(s) waive their 11th Amendment protection.
• They don't hear cases on matters from which Congress has stripped their appellate jurisdiction, assigning it to another court.
• The Court generally doesn't grant petitions for cases that are primarily predicated on errors of factual findings or misapplication of a properly stated rule of law.
• They don't accept cases raising issues they consider constitutionally settled.
• They will also refuse any petition that is jurisdictionally out of time, meaning more than 90 days has elapsed since the court of appeals decision has been entered or the appropriate state supreme court has refused to hear the case. At the Justices' discretion, the time limit may be extended no more than 60 days, but the petition must be received by the Clerk of Court at least ten days before the deadline. The Clerk of Court may reject petitions that are filed or presented improperly.

Cases have to comply with the rules set forth in Rules of the Supreme Court (current version is February 2011), which may be accessed under Related Links, below.

Answer 2

The ones they don't want to.

The Supreme Court basically votes on what cases it deems important enough to hear. There are a few cases where the Supreme Court might be the primary trial court (as opposed to an appellate court) - for example, a disagreement between the governments of two states.

Answer 3

Violations of municipal or state laws. The state courts would be the courts of original jurisdiction. Violations of state laws would not rise to the federal level unless/until a federal interest or a constitutional matter was involved and it was appealed to them for action..

Answer 4

Cases involving small claims