The diagram below shows some of the steps involved in creating a Florida state law. What do the highest courts of Florida and the United States have in common? Both have chief justices. The table below describes presidential vetoes.

State court systems include lower courts, general trial courts, appeals courts, and state supreme courts.

Each state within the United States, plus the District of Columbia, has at least one supreme court, or court of last resort. The supreme courts do not hear trials of cases. They hear appeals of the decisions made in the lower trial or appellate courts.

How are Supreme Court Justices selected? The President nominates someone for a vacancy on the Court and the Senate votes to confirm the nominee, which requires a simple majority. The Constitution does not specify qualifications for Justices such as age, education, profession, or native-born citizenship.

state supreme court

Federal laws apply to all states, while state laws apply within each individual state’s geographical borders and its residents. When a lawsuit is based on a question of federal law, the federal courts implement the applicable federal laws.

More specifically, federal courts hear criminal, civil, and bankruptcy cases. And once a case is decided, it can often be appealed.

The framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted the federal government to have only limited power. Therefore, they limited the kinds of cases federal courts can decide. Most laws that affect us are passed by state governments, and thus state courts handle most disputes that govern our daily lives.

Federal common law

Mottley, 211 U.S. 149 (1908), was a United States Supreme Court decision that held that under the existing statutory scheme, federal question jurisdiction could not be predicated on a plaintiff’s anticipation that the defendant would raise a federal statute as a defense.

Jurisdiction in the courts of a particular state may be determined by the location of real property in a state (in rem jurisdiction), or whether the parties are located within the state (in personam jurisdiction).

In many instances, state courts can hear matters of federal law, and federal courts can hear matters of state law, provided, in both instances, that certain conditions are met. State courts often limit their jurisdiction based on the amount in question or the types of claims brought.

Federal crimes are prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys and investigated by federal officers, such as FBI, DEA, or ICE agents. State crimes are investigated by county sheriffs, state agents, or local police officers, and prosecuted by state district attorneys or city attorneys.