Welcome Back Future Lawyer!
In my previous blog post I began our discussion of the U.S. legal system by breaking it down into 2 subsections: background and structure of federal court systems. I hope that information gave you insight into our country’s legal system and of our very own state’s legal system. In this blog, I will wrap up the discussion by briefly discussing 3 more subsections: the structure of state court systems, judges, and prosecutors. I think this discussion will be important for you, the reader, because it will provide you with a solid foundation of the legal system and possibly give you ideas of where you would like to work as a lawyer.
Structure of State Court Systems
Although there is no template for how state court systems must be structured, there are some commonalities across the board. First, most states have courts of limited jurisdiction presided over by a single judge who hears minor civil and criminal cases. Major civil and criminal cases go to what is called a general jurisdiction trial court. As in the case of limited jurisdiction courts, it too is presided by a single judge. General jurisdiction courts often go by the name circuit court or superior court. In addition, many states have specialized courts for specific legal matters such as family cases and bankruptcy cases. The highest court in a state is usually referred to as the state supreme court. To learn about the state court system in Maryland, please click here.
Judges
Aside from what we have already discussed about judges, there are a few more things to know about them. Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and circuit and district judges are appointed by the President of the United States if approved by a majority vote of the U.S. Senate. Essentially these judges serve a life term and once appointed, their salaries cannot be reduced. The only protocol in place to remove a federal judge from office is by a trial conducted by the Senate. In the history of the U.S. only a handful of federal judges have ever been removed from office. Because this process is very arduous in nature, federal judges can exercise independent judgment without political or outside interference or influence.
Prosecutors
A prosecutor, for those who don’t already know, is a lawyer who conducts the case against a defendant in a criminal court. Because prosecutors fall under the U.S. Department of Justice, they represent the federal government in court. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also falls under the U.S. Department of Justice. The main purpose of the F.B.I. is to investigate crimes against the United States. To learn more about the F.B.I., please click here. One of the most well-known prosecutors in the history of our country was President Andrew Jackson. Of course, he held this position long before he became president. The person who heads the U.S. Department of Justice is given the title “Attorney General.” To get that position, he or she must be appointed by the President with Senate confirmation. Our current Attorney General is Loretta E. Lynch. She was sworn in on April 27, 2015 as the 83rd Attorney General of the United States. To learn more about Attorney General Lynch, please click here.
I hope the information I have provided you in this post has furthered your understanding of the U.S. legal system. As the saying goes, “Don’t assume anything.” I did not want to assume that everyone was familiar with these topics so I thought it best to establish this knowledge. In my next blog, I will share traits every lawyer should now. See you then!
Reference:
DavidFlores. 