About This Module

This module, "Federal Court Concepts", is designed to introduce secondary and postsecondary students to the American federal court system. It contains basic information about the structure of the federal courts, what kind of cases that federal courts hear, and how to use federal court decisions in research.

This module contains the following information:

• Introduction: A brief overview of the federal court system.

• Structure of the Federal Courts: A description of how federal courts are organized.

• Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts: A guide to the types of cases that federal courts routinely hear.

• Federal District Courts: Information about the lowest level of federal courts.

• Federal Courts of Appeal: Information about the intermediate level of federal courts.

• Supreme Court: Information about the "highest court in the land".

• Other Federal Courts: Information about federal courts with special jurisdictions.

• About Legal Research: An introduction to how students can research court decisions, and integrate these decisions into their research.

• Resources: A list of online resources about the federal court system.

• Glossary: A list of terms used in this module. Words found in the glossary are indicated with the following icon .

• Accessibility: An overview of the accessibility features of this module, with information about courtroom accessibility for people with disabilities. For more details on the process of creating the module and its accessibility features, review Closing the Circuit: Accessibility from the Ground Up.

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, students should be able to:

• Understand the differences and similarities between the various types of federal courts

• Identify the levels of the federal court system

• Grasp the basic principles of legal research

Content Development

This module was developed by Curtis D. Edmonds, J.D under the Georgia Tech Research on Accessible Distance Education (GRADE) project at the Georgia Tech Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA).

This module is maintained by the DBTAC: Southeast ADA Center, one of ten regional Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTAC) on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.

• For questions, suggestions, or comments on this module, please email sedbtacproject@law.syr.edu.

• For more information about the ADA, contact your regional DBTAC: ADA Center via the nationwide toll-free telephone number at (800) 949-4232 (v/tty).

Next Section: Introduction