Hello class! And now we begin our discussion about federal district courts. As I just
mentioned. Federal district courts are the bottom tier of the federal court system.
District courts are trial courts, and they have you -- ready for this term, one
that you've probably never heard before? They have what is called "original
jurisdiction." Original jurisdiction means that cases originate at this level, or
they begin at this level. In other words, cases are never appealed at this level.
They're heard for the first time in courts with original jurisdiction. Ok? Now, as I
mentioned, federal district courts are trial court's. This means that they
function like other trial courts in which there is evidence introduced and
examined; they may use a jury to come to a decision;
witnesses are called to the stand and are questioned and cross-examined.
Basically anything you've ever seen in a courtroom drama -- you know things like
attorneys trying to appeal to the emotions of jurors or somebody rushing
in with a bloody knife, and saying "Your honor, I'd like to introduce this to the
evidence!" All of those things take place at trial courts. Now the reason that I'm
saying this is because when we talk about federal courts of appeals, and we
talk about the Supreme Court. Those things do not take place and those courts.
They only take place in the federal court system at federal district courts.
Federal district courts hear both civil and criminal cases. Civil cases are cases
in which no one has been accused of a crime, so you can think of a civil case
in pretty simple terms as when somebody is suing somebody else, or if a business
is suing another business. In federal courts, it can be the federal government
is suing a corporation or a corporation suing the federal government.
Those things happen all the time in federal district court, so the different types of
civil cases that are heard at federal district courts are: contract cases, a
contract case is quite simply when someone or some business or individual
has signed a contract with someone else and has broken that contract or is being
sued for breaking that contract. So today, for example, the federal government does
a lot of business with private companies, and they sign contracts, and perhaps
that company is suing the federal government because according to that company,
the federal government was supposed to pay this much money, but the federal
government only paid them this much money, so now that company is suing the
federal government. That would be an example of a civil case that would be
heard at a federal district court.
Makes sense? I hope so.
You can always email me with your questions! the other type of civil cases that are
heard at federal district courts are called torts: T-O-R-T-S. A tort is a civil case in
which there was no contract involved. So for example, a couple of years ago there
was that giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in which they were BP -- British
Petroleum oil rig that exploded, and thousands and thousands or actually
millions of gallons of oil bubbled up out of the sea floor and spilled into
the Gulf Coast and the federal government sued British Petroleum for
damages basically for the cost of cleaning up all of that oil. That was a
tort case because British Petroleum didn't have a contract with the federal
government, but they created damage. They caused damage, so the federal government was
suing British Petroleum for damage. Now when British Petroleum lost that case, no
one went to prison; it wasn't a criminal trial it was a civil trial. Federal
district courts hear
criminal cases when someone has been accused of violating a federal criminal
statute or a federal crime. Someone's been accused of committing a federal
crime like mail fraud or kidnapping or terrorism or bank robbery. These are all
federal crimes, so if one is accused of violating a federal criminal statute or
a federal criminal law and you're arrested,
you would stand trial at a federal district court.
Ok, so I hope this makes sense. Oh, let me just say one thing going back to civil
cases. Civil cases are heard at federal district courts if the federal
government is involved, so if someone's suing the federal government or the
federal government is suing someone else. Our next video is going to deal with
federal courts of appeals. Talk to you soon. Bye!