Jurisdiction of Courts

JURISDICTION OF COURTS

Use the charts on the Federal Court System and the Texas Court System to answer the

following questions. You will need to first decide if the case is a federal or a state case.

1. The president of a large corporation is accused of violating federal laws against insider trading of stocks.

What court would hear the case for the first time?

2. The Texas Supreme Court rules that a man who lost his leg in a car wreck can recover damages only

for that injury unless he can prove his other health problems resulted from that injury. From what court

was this appealed to the Texas Supreme Court?

3. A pregnant, unmarried school teacher is suing her school district to keep her job, claiming discrimination

under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. What court will hear this case for the first time?

4. Marsha wants to get back a deposit of $150 dollars on an apartment. What court will hear this case for

the first time?

5. Mississippi sues Louisiana over the right to claim a large sandbar left behind after flood waters receded

on the Mississippi River. What court will have jurisdiction in this case?

6. Mrs. Johnson wants to divorce Mr. Johnson and seeks equitable distribution of their property. What

court will hear this case for the first time?

7. Joey Jones must file the will of his late grandfather before property from the estate can be distributed.

What court will hear this case for the first time?

8. A man convicted of armed robbery of a convenience store, a state felony, appeals the case because he

believes a juror was unfairly influenced in the case. To what court will he appeal this case?

9. Bobby Butler is charged with possession of 3 ounces of marijuana for which he could be sentenced to

serve jail time. What court will hear this case for the first time?

10. An employee of a department store is accused of felony theft for taking over $5,000 worth of clothing

from the store. What court will hear the case for the first time?

11. Barbara has received a parking ticket with a $50 fine from a city policeman when time runs out on the

parking meter of the space where she has parked on Main Street. What court will hear this case for the first time?

12. Private Roberts believes the Department of Veterans’ Affairs has wrongly denied him access to physical therapy for wounds he received in the Iraq War. To what court will he take his case?

Compare and Contrast

Federal Court System Texas State Court System