7. Match the following:

   judge	–	a)a lawyer appointed by the President, in each judicial district, to prosecute cases for the federal government
   jurisdiction	–	b)the law as laid down in the decisions of the courts
   trial jury	–	c)an agency of government authorized to resolve legal disputes
   U.S. Attorney	–	d) a government official with authority to preside over and decide lawsuit brought to courts
   case law	–	e) the legal authority of a court to hear and decide a certain type of case
   court	–	f)a group of citizens who hear the evidence presented by both side at trial and determine the facts in dispute

8. Read the following sentences and decide if they are true or false.

1. The structure of state courts varies from state to state.

2. Each state has at least one district court.

3. District courts handle both civil and criminal cases.

4. There are forty-nine district courts in the court system of the USA

5. All cases resolved in the district courts can be appealed to one of the federal circuit courts.

6. Each case in the district courts is tried by three judges.

7. Federal courts are organized in two tiers: district courts and courts of appeals.

8. All federal judges are appointed for eight years by the President.

9. The US Supreme Court is the highest tribunal in the United States.

10. The US Supreme Court includes a Chief justice and six associate justices.

9. Answer the questions.

1. What kinds of courts are there in the USA?

2. What disputes do state courts decide?

3. How many federal judicial districts are there in the country?

4. What is the highest federal court in the USA?

5. What cases does the Supreme Court hear?

6. What cases are heard by federal courts?

7. What is a trial court?

8. What do the circuit courts do?

9. What cases do the federal courts hear?

10. Examine the chart and read the text.

The organization of the federal courts today

The American court system is complex. It functions as part of the federal system of government. Each state runs its own court system, and no two are identical. In addition, we have a system of courts for the national government. These federal courts coexist with the state courts.

Individuals fall under the jurisdiction of two different court systems, their state courts and federal courts. They can sue or be sued in either system, depending mostly on what their case is about. The vast majority of cases are resolved in the state courts.

The federal courts are organized in three tiers, like a pyramid. At the bottom of the pyramid are the US district courts, where litigation begins. In the middle are the US courts of appeals. At the top is the US Supreme Court. To appeal means to take a case to a higher court. The courts of appeals and the Supreme Court are appellate courts, with few exceptions; they review cases that have been decided in lower courts. Most federal courts hear and decide a wide array of cases; the judges in these courts are known as generalists.

11. Find in the text the English equivalents for the words below.

– співіснувати;

– приватні особи;

– суди штатів;

– подати позов;

– федеральні суди;

– переважна більшість;

– підпадати під юрисдикцію;

– вирішити справу в судовому порядку;

– ярус;

– Верховний суд;

– судовий розгляд;

– окружні суди;

– суди вищої інстанції;

– апеляційні суди;

– виняток;

– суди нижчої інстанції;

– суд останньої інстанції;

– розглядати справу.

12. Answer the questions.

1. Who is responsible for making laws in the US?

2. Name American courts in the descending order.

3. In what way are the federal courts organized?

4. Where does litigation begin?

5. What does the word “to appeal” mean?