Court Structure

Deliverables

Your participation in the discussion forum, including:

A clear, specific, and detailed response to the initial question(s) below
Clear, specific, and detailed, responses to at least two other students’ posts

Step 1: Read/Review the following instructional materials:

Review Webpage “About Federal Courts: Court Role and Structure,” United States Courts,
Read: “Federal Habeas Corpus: A Brief Legal Overview”: Congressional Research Service Report for The Library of Congress (2006), pages 1-10 required
View Video: Pathways to the Bench: US District Court Judge Julie A. Robinson, United States Courts (March 13, 2014).
View Video: Court Shorts: Separation of Powers, United States Courts, (December 13, 2018).
Review Webpage “Comparing Federal & State Courts,” United States Courts,
Find the Specific Structure of Your State Courts by reviewing the Website:

Court Statistics Project, National Center for State Courts, 2018,

Browse Your State Court Websites (50 States covered) National Center for State Courts, 2019

Step 2: Create an original post answering the following questions:

Compare your understanding of the federal and state court structure after reading/reviewing the above learning materials. Which materials did you find most helpful and why?
What is your impression, now having reviewed the materials, of the merit (if any) in having federal judges appointed rather than elected? What do you believe is the merit (if any) in having the election of state court judges?
Compare your understanding of the state court structure in your home state after reading/reviewing the above learning materials. Are there specific courts for family/domestic relations cases? Probate (Estate) cases? Juvenile cases?
Any other thoughts/takeaways from the materials that you reviewed?

Step 3 Respond:

Read other students’ posts and respond in a clear, specific, and detailed way to at least two of them. Contribute more to the conversation than “interesting post!”

Tips to Successfully Complete the Discussion:

Use the attached Rubric to determine whether your original post and replies include the necessary detail to successfully complete this assignment.
Important Note: Be sure to write an original post. Do not copy and paste answers that you locate elsewhere whether in the course materials or on the Internet. If you do want to refer to your lesson materials or Internet sources, you must give credit to that borrowed information and provide basic citations. The goal here isn’t perfect citation, but rather to make sure that you follow the student’s and paralegal’s ethical duties to give credit for information borrowed from other sources. If you want to use exact words and phrases as part of your answer use quotation marks, but your response should still be primarily in your own words. Only then will you demonstrate that you understand the material covered. If you have any questions, please reach out to your instructor.
Consider this: When a client, managing attorney, or judge asks a paralegal a question, the paralegal cannot simply hand that individual an outside source. A paralegal can refer to the source, but he/she still must answer the question in his/her own words and demonstrate confidence and skill in the topic at hand.