Supreme Court of the United States

Supreme Court of the United States– The Court adjudicates original or appellate jurisdictionJurisdiction Authority by which courts receive and decide cases. Limited Jurisdiction: the authority over only particular types of cases, or cases under a prescribed amount in controversy, or seeking only certain types of relief, the District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction. Original Jurisdiction: Jurisdiction of the first court to hear a case. cases arising under the Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made under their authority; cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls; cases of admiralty and maritime law; controversies in which the United States is a party; and cases arising between one state and citizens of another state, two or more states, citizens of different states, citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, or between a state or its citizens and foreign states, citizens, or subjects. Promulgates rules governing proceedings in bankruptcy, admiralty, and copyright cases; appellate proceedings in criminal cases involving federal law or constitutional issues; and criminal petty offense proceedings before U.S. commissioners. The appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is defined in various statutes. Since the circuit courts of appeal give final decisions in the majority of cases, the Supreme Court usually hears only those cases that involve the construction or the constitutionality of legislative enactments or other issues of general importance. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving ambassadors, ministers, and consuls, and those in which a state is a party. Clerk appointed under authority of the Judiciary Act of 1789 to record the decrees, judgments, and determinations of the court [U.S National Archives].