What is the difference between trial and appellate courts?
The Basics The Structure of the Federal Court System: Differences Between Trial and Appellate Courts Background Article III of the U.S. Constitution created the federal judicial system. It says: The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. Pursuant to this provision, Congress has established two levels of federal courts under the Supreme Court: the district courts and the appellate courts. The United States is divided into 12 regional circuits. Each circuit is represented by a court of appeals for that circuit. These courts hear appeals from the district courts within its circuit. There is also a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which hears appeals in specialized cases and has national jurisdiction. The court of appeals reviews the trial record from the district court and determines whether the district judge applied the law correctly. The appellate cou
