HY 357 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Jury Trial, Punitive Damages, Product Liability
6 Jun 2018
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The State Court System
The United States has two court systems: 1) the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts,
established in somewhat vague terms by Article III of the Constitution, and 2) the state courts.
The two systems are somewhat parallel. Ultimately, the federal courts may receive appeals from
the state courts, and the Supreme Court has final jurisdiction on constitutional questions.
The state court system is organized as a hierarchy and includes superior courts (which act as trial
courts) and a state supreme court. Generally, judges in the state courts are elected.
Superior courts
Superior courts usually function at the county level. A judge, who rules on matters of law such
as whether a piece of evidence is admissible, and a jury (if the defendant asks for a jury trial)
ideally reach a decision on a case based on the evidence presented. Superior courts handle two
types of cases: criminal cases and civil cases. Criminal cases involve nonviolent crimes, such as
fraud, and violent crimes, such as murder, armed robbery, and rape. Many criminal cases do not
come to trial because the defendant (the person charged with a crime) enters into a plea
bargain, an agreement to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for a reduced sentence.
Prosecutors may agree to a plea bargain, which saves the judicial system time and money,
because the original charge may be difficult to prove.
Civil cases are disputes over property, money, contracts, or personal well-being (malpractice,
libel, and personal injury lawsuits). The plaintiff (the person or persons bringing the suit) usually
seeks compensatory damages (money in return for the loss or harm done) and punitive
damages (a monetary award to make it clear to the defendant not to engage in such actions in the
future). Punitive damages may exceed the actual harm caused by a person or company many
times over, because juries sometimes treat the legal battle as a popularity contest between
plaintiff and defendant — a contest that corporations often lose and individual members of a
community often win. Some civil cases are brought as class-action suits. These are cases in
which a large number of people have been affected, and the compensation award is distributed to
all the victims. Class-action suits often involve health and product liability questions; suits
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The united states has two court systems: 1) the supreme court and the lower federal courts, established in somewhat vague terms by article iii of the constitution, and 2) the state courts. Ultimately, the federal courts may receive appeals from the state courts, and the supreme court has final jurisdiction on constitutional questions. The state court system is organized as a hierarchy and includes superior courts (which act as trial courts) and a state supreme court. Generally, judges in the state courts are elected. Superior courts usually function at the county level. Superior courts handle two types of cases: criminal cases and civil cases. Criminal cases involve nonviolent crimes, such as fraud, and violent crimes, such as murder, armed robbery, and rape. Many criminal cases do not come to trial because the defendant (the person charged with a crime) enters into a plea bargain, an agreement to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for a reduced sentence.
