NCJ Number
210190
Date Published
2005
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This third edition of a reference series on the Federal judicial system provides an overview of the history of its creation.
Abstract
Designed mainly as an overview for court personnel and American judicial history and politics students, this reference book describes how Congress first implemented the Federal court system with the Judiciary Act of 1789. The basic structure of the Federal court system was thus born and involved a supreme appellate court that would interpret the Federal Constitution and laws. The court structure also included a system of lower Federal courts that were separated by State boundaries. Although the system incorporated a reliance on State courts to handle the majority of adjudication responsibilities, there were many clashes over the optimal extent of Federal jurisdiction and the optimal Federal court structure governing that jurisdiction. The reference book is divided into four main parts; the first part looks at the establishment of the Federal judicial system, including the Judiciary Act and the Bill of Rights, while the second part focuses on the changes in the system between its founding and the Evarts Act. The third part discusses the minimal changes that have occurred within the Federal judicial system since 1866 and the fourth section contrasts the Federal court system of today with that of 1891. Cross-references are provided to the many Federal judicial history resources available online. Exhibits, notes