- Identify the state and federal courts covering your state. Determine the Federal District Court to which your state belongs. Remember that a few states will come under the jurisdiction of one Federal District Court.
- Determine the different levels of the state courts in your state starting with the most basic court and make a list of these that pertain to your state.
- Do not include specialty or limited courts like tax courts, bankruptcy, or agency claims.
Prepare a 3–4 page paper that is composed of three sections. The first section should discuss the federal court structure in your district and state. In the second section, you will identify the court that has jurisdiction in the cases below and explain why. Finally, spend a paragraph reflecting on what you have learned about the court system and the impact of its structure on the justice system.
- Describe the structure of the courts and the jurisdiction, particularly what types of matters that each type of court can handle. Pay particular attention to Article III of the Constitution.
- Which court has jurisdiction in the following cases?
- You are renting an apartment. Your landlord has falsely claimed that you have given notice that you would not renew your lease and is pursuing eviction charges against you. The amount in controversy is $2,000 in rent, including your security deposit.
- The federal government just brought a case against a group of human traffickers who are accused of smuggling young women from Eastern Europe into the country for prostitution. The women are brought to large cities in different states, where prostitution rings are set up. The traffickers communicate with each other using the telephone system.
- At the end of the paper, save some space to discuss your views (and any research you may have conducted) as to the effectiveness of a dual and sometimes parallel court structure.
You should also make sure to:
- Include a title page with full name, class name, section number, and date
- Include an introductory and concluding paragraph and demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard American English
- Use examples to support your Discussion
- Cite all sources on a separate reference page at the end of your paper and cited within the body of your paper using APA format
