American Government › Section M · The courts › Topic M.2
The dual court system
The United States runs two court systems side by side: one for the nation and one in every state. Knowing which system hears which dispute, and how a case can cross from one to the other, explains a great deal about how justice actually works.
In this topic
- Two systems, three tiers each
- Criminal and civil cases
- State courts carry most of the load
- Diversity and concurrent jurisdiction
- Worked example: choosing a court
- How state cases reach the Supreme Court
- Worked example: Ernesto Miranda's two trials
- Fifty different state systems
- Strengths and weaknesses of a dual system
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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