It really depends what kind of courts you are talking about and where the courts are. If the courts are federal, then a district court is a trial court and a circuit court is an appeals court, which may review a trial decision from a district court. For state courts, the difference between a district court and a circuit court will depend on what state the courts are in. Many states have courts called "district court" and "circuit court," but what kinds of cases these courts handle differs state to state.
morgz
The US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts hear most of the appeals from "lower courts" in the federal court system. The US Supreme Court has the highest federal appellate jurisdiction, and typically hears appeals from the Circuit Courts, although it sometimes hears cases on direct appeal from the US District Courts. Both of these would be considered "lower courts."
This is admittedly an educated guess and may be applicable only in the US: But I believe the answer would be Municipal Courts or County-level court systems probably hear the most cases due simply to the sheer number of misdemeanor and traffic cases that are heard each day.
Yes. The thirteen US Courts of Appeals Circuit Courts are the intermediate appellate courts of the federal judicial system.Another View: While the above example, as far as it goes, is true, in part, ... it can depend greatly on whether you are referring to the state or federal court systems. The lowest level of state court is usually referred to as a Circuit Court, while the lowest level of the federal court system is referred to as a District Court. As stated in the original answer, Federal District courts are grouped together in Circuits.
You can ask, but it would depend on the situation.
It really depends what kind of courts you are talking about and where the courts are. If the courts are federal, then a district court is a trial court and a circuit court is an appeals court, which may review a trial decision from a district court. For state courts, the difference between a district court and a circuit court will depend on what state the courts are in. Many states have courts called "district court" and "circuit court," but what kinds of cases these courts handle differs state to state.
There is a concept called "jurisdiction", which refers to the power and authority of a court to hear and decide both civil and criminal matters. The identity of a court having jurisdiction will depend upon many factors. These include, depending upon the nature of the case, the amount of money in dispute, the nature of the dispute (for example, all family law cases are generally within one court's jurisdiction irrespective of the existence of children or length of marriage), or the severity of the crime or infraction charged (felony, misdemeanor, or noncriminal infraction such as many traffic tickets). Different states have different names for the various "levels" of court that may have jurisdiction over a given type of case. Likewise, the names will be different if the state court system or the federal court system is implicated. Therefore, at the least, you will have to know the identity of the state involved.
According to the Australian Copyright Council: "The Federal Court of Australia, the Federal Magistrates Court and State and Territory courts all have jurisdiction to hear copyright infringement matters. Copyright owners will usually bring an action in the city closest to where they are located and which is most convenient for them. The choice of court may depend on factors including which remedies the copyright owner is seeking (some State courts do not have the power to grant injunctions or award an account of profits)."
Conflict of law is an area of law that regulates the interaction between distinct jurisdictions. Typically, conflict of law questions arise in: # Federal systems, such as the US or Australia, where a dispute might be handled either by a Federal court or a State court; or # Internationally, where a dispute may be heard in two or more countries (for example, if the parties to a contract are based in different countries, each party could sue the other for breach in either the courts of their home country or the courts of the country in which the other party is based). The actual question of how to resolve the dispute will depend on the jurisdictions in question. In the case of a contract dispute, parties to the contract may expressly agree on a 'choice of law' clause to determine where any dispute is to be heard. The effectiveness of such a clause will depend on how it is phrased.
That would depend on the terms of the bail set by the courts.
That's determined by the courts, and will depend on a number of factors.