Question

APPLYING MAIN IDEAS Which of these lists shows how federal courts are organized from top to bottom? a. Court of Appeals, Supreme Court, District Court b. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Court c. District Court, Supreme Court, Court of Appeals d. District Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court

Answer 1

B. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Court.

Throughout the country, there are district courts. District courts are collected into Circuit Courts (named after the circuit the judges used to ride). The Circuit Courts all lead to the Supreme Court.

Which is interesting is that precedent is binding only in the circuit in which it was established. I am a law student in the 1st Circuit, so I rely on 1st Circuit precedent, which might be different from the 9th Circuit out West. Likewise, I would only be bound to precedent in the District Court of Maine.