Judicial Branch Information

 
U.S. Supreme Court http://www.uscourts.gov/supremecourt.html At its discretion, and within certain guidelines established by Congress, the Supreme Court each year hears a limited number of the cases it is asked to decide. Those cases may begin in the federal or state courts, and they usually involve important questions about the Constitution or federal law. The bound copy is the final authority for Supreme Court decision.

This web sites provides links to the Official Suprerme Court web site, the Supreme Court Historical Society and the U.S. Supreme Court Justices Database, which contains a wealth of information on individuals nominated (whether confirmed or not) to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Court of Appeals: http://www.uscourts.gov/courtsofappeals.html The 94 U.S. judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a United States court of appeals. A court of appeals hears appeals from the district courts located within its circuit, as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies. In addition, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals in specialized cases, such as those involving patent laws and cases decided by the Court of International Trade and the Court of Federal Claims.

District Courts: http://www.uscourts.gov/districtcourts.html The United States district courts are the trial courts of the federal court system. Within limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the district courts have jurisdiction to hear nearly all categories of federal cases, including both civil and criminal matters.

Resources include a County/District Court Locator, Electronic Court Records, Federal Court Fees, Federal Court Interpreters, Jury Duty, Post Judgment Interest Rates,Subpoena Regulations and Statistical Reports.

Bankruptcy Courts: http://www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts.html Each of the 94 federal judicial districts handles bankruptcy matters, and in almost all districts, bankruptcy cases are filed in the bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy cases cannot be filed in state court.  From this website find links to resources covering covering Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 and information on how to file for bankruptcy.