Blackwell Reference Online

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Courts cover broad perspectives ( Gifis 1998 ). First, the court is a part of the judicial branch of the government consisting of a judge or a few judges responsible for adjudging disputes under the laws. Second, the court represents a judge or judges on the judicial bench. Third, the court is a legislative assembly that interprets laws. Fourth, the court stands for a legal system or process. There is variation and diversity in respect to courts globally. This entry focuses on the court system of the US, which has a dual court system which includes the federal and state courts. There was a major debate between anti-federalists and federalists after the American Revolution concerning whether it was necessary to have a federal court system separate from the state systems. As a result of compromise, the federalists finally were able to have the federal courts with a minimal supervision system along with the state court systems ( Neubauer 1984 ). Rapid population growth and industrialization after the Civil War resulted in the increased volume of litigations on the local and state levels. Many states expanded their state and local courts, and this kind of expansion created a very complex American legal system. In general, the federal courts have the authority to decide controversial cases related to the US Constitution, and disputes between citizens of different states as well as between ... log in or subscribe to read full text