Special courts

In addition to the federal courts of general jurisdiction, it has been nec­essary from time to time to set up courts for special purposes. These are known as "legislative" courts because they are created by congres­sional action. Judges in these courts, like their peers in other federal courts, are appointed for life terms by the president, with Senate approval.

Today, there are two special trial courts that have nationwide jurisdic­tion over certain types of cases. The Court of International Trade addresses cases involving interna­tional trade and customs issues. The Court of Federal Claims has jurisdic­tion over most claims for money damages against the United States, disputes over federal contracts, unlawful "takings" of private proper­ty by the federal government, and a variety of other claims against the United States.

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