The U.S. Court System
The U.S. court system, as part of the federal system of government, is characterized by dual hierarchies: there are both state and federal courts. Each state has its own system of courts, composed of civil and criminal trial courts, sometimes intermediate courts of appeal, and a state supreme court. The federal court system consists of a series of trial courts (district courts) serving relatively small geographic regions, circuit courts of appeal that hear appeals from many district courts in a particular geographic region and the Supreme Court of the United States. The two court systems are to some extent overlapping in that certain kinds of disputes (such as a claim that a state law is in violation of the Constitution) may be initiated in either system. They are also to some extent hierarchical, the federal system stands above the state system. Litigants who lose their cases in the state supreme court may appeal their cases to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Thus, the typical court case begins in a trial court-a court of general jurisdiction -in the state or federal system. Most cases go no further than the trial court: for example, the criminal defendant is convicted and sentenced by the court and the case ends, the personal injury suit results in a judgment by a trial court (or an out-of-court settlement by the parties) and the parties leave the court system. Burt sometimes the losing party at the trial court cares enough about the case that the matter does not end there. In these cases, the 'loser' at the trial court may appeal to the next higher court.
美國法院體系是政府聯(lián)邦體系的組成部分，它以兩級(jí)結(jié)構(gòu)為特點(diǎn)：包括州法院和聯(lián)邦法院。每個(gè)州都有自己的法院體系，由民事和形式初審法院組成，有時(shí)還包括上訴法院和州法院。聯(lián)邦法院體系則包括：一系列面向相對(duì)較小的地區(qū)的初審法院（稱為地方法院），巡回法院——審理來自眾多位于特定地區(qū)的地方法院的上訴案件，和聯(lián)邦法院。由于一些爭議事項(xiàng)（比如聲稱州的某一法律違憲）可以訴諸兩個(gè)法院體系的任何一個(gè)，因此這兩個(gè)體系在某種程度上是重疊的。然而在某種程度上，這兩個(gè)體系又是垂直的，聯(lián)邦法院體系位于州法院體系之上。在州法院敗訴的當(dāng)事人可以上訴至聯(lián)邦法院。
因此，典型案件開始于州法院體系或聯(lián)邦法院體系的一個(gè)初審法院——一個(gè)具有普遍管轄權(quán)的法院。大多數(shù)案件止步于初審法院。比如刑事案件的被告被宣告有罪，由法院作出判決隨之案件終結(jié)，人身傷害訴訟則隨著初審法院作出判決（或當(dāng)時(shí)方作出庭外和解）而終結(jié)。但有時(shí)，在審判法院敗訴的一方十分重視該案件而使程序并未終止于此。在這類案件中，在初審法院的"敗訴方"可以將案件上訴至高一級(jí)法院。
The U.S. court system, as part of the federal system of government, is characterized by dual hierarchies: there are both state and federal courts. Each state has its own system of courts, composed of civil and criminal trial courts, sometimes intermediate courts of appeal, and a state supreme court. The federal court system consists of a series of trial courts (district courts) serving relatively small geographic regions, circuit courts of appeal that hear appeals from many district courts in a particular geographic region and the Supreme Court of the United States. The two court systems are to some extent overlapping in that certain kinds of disputes (such as a claim that a state law is in violation of the Constitution) may be initiated in either system. They are also to some extent hierarchical, the federal system stands above the state system. Litigants who lose their cases in the state supreme court may appeal their cases to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Thus, the typical court case begins in a trial court-a court of general jurisdiction -in the state or federal system. Most cases go no further than the trial court: for example, the criminal defendant is convicted and sentenced by the court and the case ends, the personal injury suit results in a judgment by a trial court (or an out-of-court settlement by the parties) and the parties leave the court system. Burt sometimes the losing party at the trial court cares enough about the case that the matter does not end there. In these cases, the 'loser' at the trial court may appeal to the next higher court.
美國法院體系是政府聯(lián)邦體系的組成部分，它以兩級(jí)結(jié)構(gòu)為特點(diǎn)：包括州法院和聯(lián)邦法院。每個(gè)州都有自己的法院體系，由民事和形式初審法院組成，有時(shí)還包括上訴法院和州法院。聯(lián)邦法院體系則包括：一系列面向相對(duì)較小的地區(qū)的初審法院（稱為地方法院），巡回法院——審理來自眾多位于特定地區(qū)的地方法院的上訴案件，和聯(lián)邦法院。由于一些爭議事項(xiàng)（比如聲稱州的某一法律違憲）可以訴諸兩個(gè)法院體系的任何一個(gè)，因此這兩個(gè)體系在某種程度上是重疊的。然而在某種程度上，這兩個(gè)體系又是垂直的，聯(lián)邦法院體系位于州法院體系之上。在州法院敗訴的當(dāng)事人可以上訴至聯(lián)邦法院。
因此，典型案件開始于州法院體系或聯(lián)邦法院體系的一個(gè)初審法院——一個(gè)具有普遍管轄權(quán)的法院。大多數(shù)案件止步于初審法院。比如刑事案件的被告被宣告有罪，由法院作出判決隨之案件終結(jié)，人身傷害訴訟則隨著初審法院作出判決（或當(dāng)時(shí)方作出庭外和解）而終結(jié)。但有時(shí)，在審判法院敗訴的一方十分重視該案件而使程序并未終止于此。在這類案件中，在初審法院的"敗訴方"可以將案件上訴至高一級(jí)法院。