The court system is divided into two types, federal and state. Both systems have different cases assigned to them accordingly. The state court is mainly responsible for clarifying state law while federal courts have a wider variety of cases to handle. Many do not know what it takes or how a case goes from state to federal court, so we will take a quick look at how cases get to federal court.
The Levels
The federal system continues to evolve as the years go by and from its initial acknowledgment in Article III of the Constitution, which allowed the Supreme Court to create different court levels below as they felt necessary. Therefore, we now have three levels in the federal court system:
- Appellate Courts: These consist of 12 circuit courts in the US created by congress to lower the workload of the Supreme Court and hear the cases from the district courts as well.
- District Courts: In the 94 district courts, the federal cases are tried. For the most part, these courts oversee criminal cases, bail sets, and search warrants.
- Executive Brand Courts: These courts are not part of the judicial branch of government; however, they oversee hearings of unique cases such as taxes, veteran appeals, and issues within the armed forces.
- The Supreme Court: This court is the highest and most powerful court in the United States.
Case Types
The Federal Court has a selected number of cases which they are in charge of, such as:
- Federal Question: Any question within the federal law is assigned to the Federal Court to resolve. These can be copyright cases or also major federal crimes.
- Diversity: If the case involved residents of different states, then the case can move to a federal court but only if the case is for at least $75,000.
- Diplomats and Treaties: When other countries are involved and they affect the US, the federal court must intervene to resolve the matter.
- Federal Government Cases: If someone sues the federal government, the federal court must hear the case.
Most Common Federal Crime Cases
- White Collar Crimes: This refers to non-violent cases that are very serious such as, fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, etc.
- Drugs: Many drug cases are prosecuted at state court, however, some of these cases are moved to federal court when the individual is charged with drug crimes.
- Weapons: These cases are usually involving firearm possession.
Why Hiring the Right Attorney is Key
At Michael B Cohen Law, our priority is making sure that you receive the best legal representation for your federal crime cases. You can schedule a free consultation with us today and learn about your options and ways in which we can help you and your future.