Courts and Pretrial Processes Dual Court System Separate

Courts and Pretrial Processes

Dual Court System Separate state and federal court systems ¡ Federal courts deal with matters of federal law ¡ State courts deal with matters of state law ¡ Native American tribal courts constitute a third system in several states ¡

The Dual Court System ¡ Whether a case enters through the federal or state court system depends upon which law has been broken. The right of exists in either system.

State Court Structure ¡ Arranged like a pyramid l l l One court of last resort Intermediate appellate courts Trial courts General jurisdiction ¡ Limited jurisdiction ¡ l ¡ Some specialty courts Law defines jurisdiction of each

Trial Courts ¡ Handle determinations of guilt and sentencing l Trial courts of limited jurisdiction Handle 90% of all criminal cases ¡ Misdemeanors ¡ Preliminary matters in felony cases ¡ Relatively informal ¡ l Trial courts of general jurisdiction Felony cases ¡ Courts of record ¡

State Appellate Courts Rights of appeal determined by law ¡ Review of previous trial for procedural errors ¡ Possible outcomes: ¡ l l l Order a new trial Allow defendant to go free Uphold (sustain) original verdict

State Court of Last Resort Highest state court ¡ Usually called the “State Supreme Court” ¡ Reviews issues of law appealed from the trial courts ¡

Court Structures of Alaska (Reformed) and Georgia (Unreformed) ¡ Reformers have called on states to reduce the number of courts, standardize their names, and clarify their jurisdictions.

Specialty Courts Focus is on a particular kind of case ¡ Specialization can be based on different criteria: ¡ l l l Alleged perpetrator (e. g. juvenile court) Type of crime (e. g. drug court) Factors associated with the crime (e. g. gun court)

Federal Court Structure The United States Supreme Court ¡ The United States Courts of Appeal ¡ The United States District Court ¡

Federal Court Structure: U. S. District Court Each state has at least one Federal District ¡ 94 Districts throughout the U. S. ¡ Primary trial court of the U. S. system ¡

Federal Court Structure: Court of Appeals Also called the Circuit Courts because the jurisdiction covers a large geographical area ¡ Usually located in major cities ¡ Reviews decisions of lower courts ¡ Cases involve constitutional issues ¡

The U. S. Supreme Court Highest court in the land; Court of last resort ¡ Decisions set precedents ¡ Allowed to choose the cases it hears ¡ 9 Justices (1 Chief Justice, 8 Associate Justices) ¡

The U. S. Supreme Court (contd. ) Full Court hears about 100 cases per year ¡ 4 Justices must vote to hear a case (Rule of Four) ¡ Majority, minority & dissenting opinions ¡

Effective Management of State Courts ¡ Effective state court management of huge caseloads is problematic l l l ¡ Fragmented structure Inadequate resources Uneven quality of judges A proposed solution is a unified court system with four goals: l l Eliminate overlapping and conflicting jurisdictional boundaries Create hierarchical and centralized court structure Courts funded by state government Separate civil service personnel system

Functions of the Judge Adjudicator ¡ Negotiator ¡ Administrator ¡

Duties of the Judiciary Oversee conduct in court ¡ Settle questions of evidence and procedure ¡ Guide questioning of witnesses ¡ Instructs the jury about law ¡ Decide case when a jury is not used (bench trial) ¡ Decide on sentence ¡

Actions of a Trial Court Judge in Processing a Felony Case ¡ The judge ensures that legal standards are upheld, maintains courtroom decorum, protects the rights of the accused, meets the requirement of a speedy trial, and ensures that case records are maintained properly.

Judicial Qualifications vary by state ¡ Typical qualifications include: ¡ l l l resident of the state licensed to practice law member of the state bar association 25 years old or older less than 70 years old

Judicial Selection Systems Appointment ¡ Partisan election ¡ Nonpartisan election ¡ Missouri Plan (a. k. a. The Merit Plan) A combination of: ¡ l l Appointment and Election

Selecting Federal Judges Appointed by the President ¡ Confirmed (advice and consent) of the Senate ¡ Serve for a period of good behavior (normally life) ¡

Pretrial Processes ¡ Purpose of pretrial processes is to ensure due process of law l Force prosecutors and judges to: Review the evidence ¡ Make sure probable cause exists ¡ Dismiss unnecessary or unjust charges (filter out) ¡ ¡ Defendant is exposed to assemblyline atmosphere of the lower criminal courts

Pretrial Processes (contd. ) ¡ Arraignment l l l Often the first formal meeting between prosecution and defense Charges are read and plea is entered Prosecutors begin to evaluate the case Don’t want to waste limited time and resources ¡ May decide to drop case ¡ ¡ Preliminary hearing l Defense may challenge the evidence through motions

Pretrial Release: Bail ¡ Based on judge’s view of: l l ¡ The seriousness of the crime The defendant’s prior record The Eighth Amendment does not guarantee a right to bail, but prohibits excessive bail l l Amount of bail should be high enough to ensure the defendant appears in court for trial – no higher. Critics argue the bail system discriminates against poor people

Bail Amounts for Felony Defendants by Type of Offense ¡ The amount of bail varies according to the offense.

Pretrial Release Factors Nature of the crime and offender ¡ Criminal background ¡ Defendant’s cooperation ¡ Impact on the community ¡ Victim’s opinion ¡