Understanding how the federal court system operates can give key insight into how and why cases are decided the way they are. Which court decisions establish the law? Are state courts bound by decisions of federal courts when applying federal law? How does a case get to the Supreme Court of the United States? From where does the Supreme Court derive the authority to declare actions of state and federal legislatures unconstitutional? Why are there nine (and not more or fewer) Justices on the Supreme Court?

What We’ll Cover

• The difference between district courts and circuit courts
• The difference between panel and en banc decisions
• The effect of federal circuit court decisions on state courts regarding issues of
  federal law
• How a case makes its way to the Supreme Court
• Who the Justices of the Supreme Court are and how they get there