6.5.1: Structures of the Dual Court System

Crime and Deviance · LibreTexts

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    Each state in the United States has its own court system, separate from the federal court system. This means there are essentially 51 legal systems: one for each state and one for the federal government. Additionally, U.S. Territories and the military have their own court systems. This setup is often referred to as the dual court system.

    In the dual court system, state courts handle crimes that violate state laws, while federal courts handle crimes that violate federal laws. For example, if someone robs a bank, they may be charged with violating both state laws (such as robbery) and federal laws (such as bank robbery), depending on the circumstances of the case.

    Dual Court System Structure

    Dual Courts

    Federal Courts

    State Courts

    Highest Appellate Court

    U.S. Supreme Court (Justices) (Note: Court also has original/trial court jurisdiction in rare cases) (Note: Court will also review petitions for writ of certiorari from State Supreme Court cases)

    State Supreme Court (Justices)

    Intermediate Appellate Court

    U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Judges)

    State Appellate Court (e.g., Oregon Court of Appeals) (Judges)

    Trial Court of General Jurisdiction

    U.S. District Court (Judges) (Note: this court will review petitions for writs of habeas corpus from federal and state court prisoners)

    Circuit Court, Commonwealth Court, District Court, Superior Court (Judges)

    Trial Court of Limited Jurisdiction

    U.S. Magistrate Courts (Magistrate Judges)

    District Court, Justice of the Peace, Municipal Courts (Judges, Magistrates, Justices of the Peace)

    This page titled 6.5.1: Structures of the Dual Court System was last modified on Sat, 26 Sep 2026 19:44:34 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Antoniette Aizon.