Introduction
The judicial system in the United States is unique insofar as it is actually made up of two different court systems: the federal court system and the state court systems. While each court system is responsible for hearing certain types of cases, neither is completely independent of the other, and the systems often interact. Furthermore, solving legal disputes and vindicating legal rights are key goals of both court systems. This lesson is designed to examine the differences, similarities, and interactions between the federal and state court systems to make the public aware of how each system goes about achieving these goals.