history and structure of the American court system

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Abstract
The United States of America was colonized by Britain. During the colonization period, the British judicial system was being used in deciding on cases and punishments. In 1776, America gained independence and separated completely from their colonizers in 1783. As an independent country now, a new Constitution was created. The constitution stipulated on the judicial system though slightly. Most of the judicial structure was based on the colonizer’s system, but the rules, procedures, and guidelines were changed to facilitate justice and fairness. The court system was categorized into federal courts and state courts. Over the years, many significant changes have been implemented in both court systems as discussed in parts of this paper
The two judicial systems are structured differently though both use a hierarchical method. The federal court system is less complicated as compared to state court system which comprises of above 1,000 state courts of various types. Each of the two court systems is guided by different rules, and their jurisdiction in cases is different. The magistrates and judges are also chosen using different procedures. The U.S. Court System uses these two administrative systems for application and interpretation of the law.
This paper discusses the history of the America Court System since independence was gained. It looks at the various changes undergone and additions made. Due to diverse issues such as population increment and growth of cases, the court system has changed significantly in how it works and the structure as well.

Currently, the court system is divided into two administrative systems, with each system having various levels with regard to superiority. These progressive changes are discussed in this paper as well as a breakdown of the current structure.
History and Structure of the American Court System
The history of the American court system dates back to the colonial days. The United States was colonized by British and were subjected to various laws and rules. Due to the colonization aspect, the British legislation and punishments imposed to Americans were typically unfair and unjust. Strive to reform the criminal justice system embarked during the last years of 17th century, being promoted by William Penn (Endy 11). Penn used his publicity and spiritual beliefs to promote reforms and assisted in their implementation. However, America was still under the Britain’s criminal justice system until they gained independence in the year 1776 (Jefferson and Fink 30). Nevertheless, the complete separation between America and the British Empire took place in 1783.
The independence was gained as a result of the American Revolution which caused of a political upheaval (Brüggert 1779). During the revolution, the Americans excluded themselves from British authority and rejected taxation. They also declined to accept any laws made without American representatives in the British Parliament. As a result of the revolution, United States created a new Constitution. June 28, 1776, the draft copy of ‘Declaration to the Congress’ was presented and signed later (Brüggert 1779). At the end of the revolution, the United States elected government took hold of the power and responsibility of the Americans. The constitution guaranteed the citizens with rights and freedom which were absent during the colonization era. The government comprised of bicameral Congress, an executive, and national judiciary. This formed the foundation of the justice system and the American Court System.
Guiding principles and rules were created for the procedures of criminal justice. The guidelines were set to facilitate fair punishment of crimes and protection of the innocent citizens. The order of hierarchy was embraced in creating the judicial system. To promote fairness, the truth of the conflict would be decided by the judge or jury, through assessment of the arguments, evidence, and testimony presented to the court. The judicial power was vested in one Supreme Court, as stipulated in Article three of the created Constitution. Among many functions, the Supreme Court was mandated with appellate jurisdiction concerning larger civil cases. The Congress was endorsed with ordaining and establishing inferior courts.
The Supreme Court consisted of Chief Justice and 5 Associate Justices. On September 26, 1789, John Jay became the first Chief Justice, as appointed by George Washington. He served for six years until June 29, 1795. The first five Associate Justices were John Blair, John Rutledge, James Wilson, William Cushing, and James Iredell (“History of the Federal Judiciary”). These justices were obligated with serving on the U.S. circuit courts. The judges were faced with the hardship of minimal control regarding which cases they heard. However, they reviewed courses through certiorari in 1891, doing away with the right to automatic appeal. The Supreme Court was also faced with the problem of limited administrative authority over the federal courts. This was lifted in the year 1934, with the Congress mandating the responsibility of drafting rules of federal procedure to the High Court.
After the Judiciary Act marked out U.S. into circuits, it leads to the creation of three circuit courts. Each court was assigned two justices of the Supreme Court. The circuit courts were involved with federal criminal cases, civil cases of the US Government and suits of citizens belonging to different states. The Circuit Courts were however abolished in 1911. Thirteen district courts were created for each state to decide cases on admiralty cases, maritime cases, minor civil cases and criminal cases. Each District Court was led by a ‘district attorney’ created by the president.
With caseloads increments in the second half of the 20th century resulted in many changes (Kagan et al. 961). More federal litigations came up resulting from new federal regulations, federalization of state court cases, enactment of more federal rights and reliance by private suits. To curb the growing number of cases, the Congress established the position of magistrates. As a result, the commissioners who assisted in processing cases before the commencement of trials were removed   (Kagan et al. 961). The Congress also created a position for a bankruptcy judge in 1978. These judges replaced the referees undertaking judicial cases and administrative responsibility for bankruptcy cases.
The structure of the US court system has changed significantly over the decades. Currently, the court system is divided into two main parts; the federal court system and the state court system. These two administrative systems are mandated with application and interpretation of the law in the US Court system (“History of the Federal Judiciary”). However, each of the two systems is free of the legislative and executive government branches. The two systems are nevertheless an inheritance from the colonial era and based on the British model. The two court systems have therefore advanced concurrently over the years to get well established in the court system, but with a different structure.
The federal court system is less complicated compared to state court system. The system is subdivided into three main levels. The bottom level comprises of federal district courts. It has a minimum of one bench in each of the 50 states. In each district, the number of judges ranges from one to above twenty. These district court judges are appointed by the presidents, and their service is a lifetime. The district deals with various types of cases including state and federal government cases, foreign government cases, cases of dual citizenship citizens, cases on alleged violation of federal laws and the constitution and maritime disputes  
Level two of the federal court system comprises of the United States courts of appeals with superiority to at least one district court. These courts were established in the year 1891. The system is made up of twelve judicial circuits, eleven of them are in the 50 states and one in the District of Columbia. The number of judges per circuit ranges between 6 to 27 judges. These courts deal with hearing appeals from district courts and cases involving challenging federal regulatory agency order.
The last level comprises of Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the federal system. The Supreme Court is also the lone federal court explicitly mandated by the Constitution. The Supreme Court comprises of eight associates and a chief justice. It is located in Washington, D.C., and have an ultimate say in any case it decides. The court is also mandated with hearing cases of high-ranking diplomats. Apart from these three levels, the federal court system also maintains other courts which deal with certain specific disputes. Such courts include the Court of Federal Claims and courts-martial.
The second system is the state courts system which has a different structure. The state courts system is diverse with no two states having identical judiciaries. However, the system is organized hierarchically like the federal system. Another similarity is the presence of special courts in the state court system. The first level comprises of inferior courts. These include municipal court, police court, magistrate court county court and traffic court. The inferior courts handle minimal criminal and civil cases.
The second level comprises of state district courts, also known as superior courts or circuit court. These courts are organized by counties, and they handle more serious offenses. These courts also hear appeals from inferior courts and major civil suits. The last level is the highest, is called the state supreme court or the appellate court or. This court deals with appeals from district courts and important cases. The state court system also includes special courts and tribunals, such as probate courts, juvenile court, housing court, divorce court and family court.
By virtue of originality, State courts system, and federal court system can be categorized together. Both of them are also based on the English structure with changes been made only in the context of the each system. The United States is comprised of many states, and the state courts serve to offer services to its State. The federal courts are however mandated with the jurisdiction of multiple states. Each of the two systems is categorized further into different levels using different methods. When combined together, all these courts form the United States Court System. The court system ensures that laws are interpreted and applied, and facilitates justice within the country. The Congress parliament ensures that relevant changes are made and implemented with time to cater for the dynamic changes in today’s society.

Works Cited
“History of the Federal Judiciary”. Fjc.gov. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 Oct. 2016
Brüggert, Maria. The American Revolution or War Of Independence (1775-1783) And ItsInfluence On The British Empire. Munich: GRIN Verlag GmbH, 2008. Print.
Endy, Melvin B. William Penn and Early Quakerism. [Princeton, N.J.]: Princeton UniversityPress, 1973. Print.
Jefferson, Thomas and Sam Fink. The Declaration of Independence. New York: ScholasticReference, 2002. Print.
Kagan, Robert A. et al. “The Evolution of State Supreme Courts”. Michigan Law Review 76.6(1978): 961. Web. 4 Oct. 2016.