structure and function of the courts

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Court Structure in the United States

There are two major kinds of courts in the United States : the state courts and the federal courts . The state courts compose of the Trial Courts , Court of Appeals and the Highest Court of the State while the federal courts are the District Courts , Circuit Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court . The two courts are different in terms of jurisdiction . The State courts are concerned with violations of the law of the state whereas , the federal courts are

concerned with the violations of the US federal laws and the US Constitution . The federal courts do not normally meddle with state court affairs and proceedings

When someone is arrested for a non-death penalty state felony in Los Angeles , the first step that is done is the booking then the charging of documents such as the complaint , information and the grand jury indictment . During this process , the grounds for the trial and the violations of the law are stated by the prosecution against the defendant . This is the basic document that will determine the nature of the crime . After the documents are submitted , there would be an arraignment of the case or the first appearance of the defendant to the judge (American lawyer n .pag ) then the posting of bail by the defendant . As the bail is posted , there would be a preliminary hearing and a second arraignment

The first trial of the case is conducted in the trial court which is either through a trial by judge or trial by jury . In a trial by judge it is the judge that decides the facts and the law of the case whereas in a trial by jury , the latter decides the facts of the case and the trial judge decides the law of the case

The role of the trial judge during the pendency of the case is to conduct and rule on pre-trial hearings or motions . He controls the docket , moving the cases along and sets the date for the court proceedings . He also conducts settlement or plea negotiations which actually expedite the trial process and get the case out of the docket Aside from these , the judge conducts the trial , rules on legal issues in jury trials and decides on legal issues as well as the facts on the bench trials . It is also the trial judge 's duty to impose the sentence on the defendant and rule on post-verdict motions

The trial starts with the selection of the jury and the giving of opening statements of the prosecutor and the defense attorneys . After the opening statements , the prosecution lawyer presents his case and examines the witnesses presented . As the prosecution ends his examination of the witnesses , the defense lawyer is also given the chance to test the witness through a cross examination

The defense lawyer is also given the chance to present his witness and the latter is cross examined by the prosecution lawyer after the defense...