Often times, the structure of the federal court system is depicted as a triangle with the Supreme Court at the top, U. S. District Courts at the bottom, and U. S. Courts of
Appeals in the middle. Given what you know about how the court system works, choose
the best explanation for why the pyramid shape is the most accurate representation
A. The pyramid is the best shape because there are more district courts than courts
of appeals, and more courts of appeals that the Supreme Court. Therefore, the
pyramid is the most logical representation of the federal court system.
B. The district courts are the lowest level of the court system; they have original
jurisdiction in all federal cases. The courts of appeals hear appeals that arise from
decisions of the district courts. The Supreme Court is the final court of appeals, and
decisions made by the Supreme Court are final. Difficult cases can also be sent back
down to the district courts by either the Supreme Court or courts of
appeals. Therefore, the pyramid is the most accurate representation, because it
shows how a case could proceed through the federal court system and how each
level has the ability to review the decisions of the lower levels to ensure that each
case has a fair and correct resolution.
C. Each level of the court system works independently, and the pyramid shape is
appropriate, because it shows the court hierarchy with the most important court at the
top and least important at the bottom.
D. The pyramid is really not the best shape to show the organization of the court
system because each court is equally important.