The structure of the Federal courts

The court of appeal in the Federal court system is the Supreme Court of the United States. Congress established the two-level Federal courts subordinate in relation to the Supreme Court, courts of first instance and courts of appeal.

Courts of first instance

Courts of first instance in the Federal court system are the district courts of the United States. Within the limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the district courts are empowered to listen to almost all categories of Federal Affairs - both civil and criminal. There are 94 Federal judicial districts, including at least one district in each state, the district of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each district includes the U.S. court of bankruptcy as a division of the district court. Three territories of the United States virgin Islands, GUAM and the Northern Mariana Islands have district courts, who's listening in Federal cases, including bankruptcy.

Two special court of first instance have nationwide jurisdiction over certain types of cases. The court of the foreign trade deals with cases related to international trade and customs. Federal claims U.S. court is empowered to examine the majority of suits for monetary damages to the United States, disputes in connection with Federal contracts, illegal seizure of the private ownership of the Federal government and various other claims to the United States.

Appellate courts

Judicial districts are organized into 12 regional districts, in each of which a U.S. court of appeals. The court of appeal listens to appeals from the district courts located within the region, as well as appeals against decisions of the Federal administrative agencies. In addition, the court of Appeals for the Federal district is empowered to listen nationwide appeal for specialized cases, including those relating to patent law, as well as considered by the Court of the foreign trade and the Federal exacting court.

The U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court consists of a President and eight judges. At its discretion and within the framework of instructions, the Congress, the Supreme Court annually listens to a limited number of cases that it ask for permission. The review can begin in Federal courts or in courts of the States, and they are usually associated with important questions about the Constitution or Federal legislation.

9) Why is the number of lawyers in the US increasing?

Почему количество юристов в США растет?

Рецессия отразилась на профессии, которую было принято считать неуязвимой перед спадами и подъемами в экономике. В попытке справиться с финансовым кризисом крупнейшие юридические фирмы США начали сокращения, пишет 13 апреля Associated Press.

С начала 2009 года в США лишились работы более 3 тыс. юристов.

По данным американского министерства труда, за прошлый год количество безработных юристов выросло на 66% и составило 20 тыс. человек, что является рекордным показателем за 10 лет.

В настоящее время Ассоциация адвокатов Нью-Йорка впервые в своей более чем 135-летней истории предлагает услуги по профессиональной ориентации безработным юристам.

Юридические компании откладывают прием на работу студентов последнего курса, которых обычно берут на работу на последнем году обучения. Студентам, которые выпускаются с гарантированным местом работы нынешней весной, платят за то, что они приступят к работе позже.

Многие американцы не сочувствуют юристам, внезапно оставшимся не у дел. Юристы зарабатывают значительно больше среднего американца, по данным статистического управления министерства труда, их средний заработок в году составлял $118280 в год, или $56,87 в час.

The recession affected the profession, which was considered to be impregnable before busts and booms in the economy. In an attempt to cope with the financial crisis the largest legal firms in the United States began downsizing, writes 13 April Associated Press.