Read the text about court structure

Are the following statements true or false?

1. District courts review decisions that people protest.

2. Cases involving state laws are not heard in a federal court.

3. The Supreme Court hears all cases that are brought to it.

Understanding the Levels of US Federal Courts

District courts – These are general courts. But in some cases, the jurisdiction is passed to specialized courts. These include: bankruptcy courts, tax courts and the court of private land claims.

Court of Appeals – The Court of Appeals reviews all decisions in the lower courts that people object to.

State courts – These courts decide disputes that pertain to state laws rather than federal laws.

The Supreme Court – This is another appeals court, but it is the only court that operates under discretionary review. This means it can choose which cases to hear. The Supreme Court is also called a High Court in some countries.

Read the sentence and choose the correct word.

1. The (District / Supreme) Court decided not to review

Ms. Wright’s case against the company.

2. The case does not involve federal law, so it has to go through

the (state / bankruptcy) court.

3. The district court has (jurisdiction / claim) in Mr. Trujillo’s. case.

4. If Ms. Davis wants her money back, she needs to go through the

small (claims / discretionary) court.