United States
Courts in the United States
The two separate court systems of the United States — federal and state — how the federal system is structured, and why most cases are heard in state courts.
Facts on this page were checked against their sources on .
The United States has two court systems, not one. The federal judiciary states plainly that the federal government and each of the state governments have their own court systems. Which system hears a case depends chiefly on the law at issue.
- The federal courts
- Established under Article III of the Constitution, the federal system runs from the U.S. district courts (the trial courts), through the U.S. courts of appeals, to the Supreme Court of the United States at its head. Federal courts hear cases involving the Constitution, federal laws and treaties, disputes between states, ambassadors, admiralty, bankruptcy and habeas corpus.
- The state courts
- Each state establishes its own courts through its own constitution and laws. Most have a court of last resort (often called a supreme court), commonly with intermediate appellate courts and trial courts below. State courts hear most criminal cases, most contract and tort cases, and family and probate matters.
The same idea, explained generally
- What do courts do?
Courts resolve disputes, test the state’s case against individuals, interpret law, and review public decisions. This guide explains those functions and why judicial independence is structural.
- What is due process?
Due process is the requirement that the state follow fair, established procedures before it takes action against a person. This guide explains what it typically includes and how it differs between systems.
Sources
Sources
Comparing Federal & State Courts
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (uscourts.gov) · Government publication · link verified 2026-07-24
The federal judiciary's own account. Supports: that the federal and state governments each have their own separate court systems; the federal structure of U.S. district courts, U.S. courts of appeals and the Supreme Court created under Article III; that each state establishes its own courts through its constitution and laws and that state systems vary; and the broad division of case types (federal courts hear cases on the Constitution, federal law, disputes between states, admiralty, bankruptcy, habeas; state courts hear most criminal, contract, tort, family and probate matters). Supports court STRUCTURE only; not caseload, effectiveness or the competence thresholds within any state.
Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (reproducing the enacted constitutional text) · Legislation · 1791-12-15 · link verified 2026-07-24
Verbatim text: 'The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.' Supports the reserved-powers structure of US federalism — that the states, not the federal government, hold residual authority. Cornell LII reproduces the enacted text; the constitutional text itself is authoritative. Does NOT support any claim about how a particular power is allocated in practice.