How Courts Work: State and Federal Court Systems

Learn how state and federal courts are organized, which cases each court can hear and how a case moves from a trial court to an appeal. This Lawtopolis course on how courts work has 5 short lessons and a quiz, and every lesson links to the official rule text.

What you will learn about how courts work

• The difference between state and federal courts
• What jurisdiction and venue mean
• How trial courts, appellate courts and supreme courts fit together
• Where to find the rules for the court you are in

Who this course is for

• People with a case in court or expecting one
• Students and anyone new to the legal system

Lessons in this course

1. Two court systems

The United States has two parallel court systems. Every state runs its own courts, and the federal government runs a separate set of courts created under Article III of the Constitution. Most cases, including family, probate, landlord-tenant, traffic and most contract and injury cases, are heard in state courts.

2. Jurisdiction: which court can hear a case

Subject-matter jurisdiction is a court’s power to hear a type of case. Federal district courts have it for cases “arising under” federal law (28 U.S.C. § 1331) and for diversity cases between citizens of different states where the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000 (28 U.S.C. § 1332). If a court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction, it must dismiss the case, and the parties cannot fix that by agreeing.

3. Moving between courts: removal and appeals

A defendant sued in state court can sometimes move the case to federal court by filing a notice of removal, but only if the federal court could have heard the case in the first place. In general, the notice must be filed within 30 days after the defendant is served (28 U.S.C. § 1446(b)). The federal court can send the case back, which is called remand.

4. Finding the rules for your court

Every court case runs on rules. First, there are statutes passed by the legislature. Second, there are court-wide rules of procedure, such as the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Third, most courts have local rules and judges’ standing orders that add details such as page limits, filing formats and hearing schedules.

5. Putting it together: finding your court

Now that you know the rules, this lesson turns them into steps you can follow. First, work through the checklist in order. Then, before you file or serve anything, compare your work with the common mistakes below and with your court’s own rules.

Next steps after this how courts work course

When you finish, take the quiz to check your understanding. After that, keep going with the related pages in the Motions & Procedures library, the Legal Glossary and the Research Center. For the official text, read the current federal rules on uscourts.gov, and also check your own court’s local rules.

Lawtopolis provides legal information and education, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current version of your court’s rules before you file.

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