FORTY YEARS AGO last Sunday, five men broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate complex in Washington DC in a botched operation that would spark a chain of events that two years later would see Richard Nixon resign as the 37th president of the United States.
Federal courts hear cases involving violations of federal statues, crimes committed on federal property or disputes between residents of different states. State courts hear cases involving violations of state laws or disputes between two or more residents of that state. The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota is a Federal Court. This Court is completely separate from State Courts.
What is the difference between trial and appellate courts? In both state and federal courts, there are trial courts, where cases are first heard, and appellate or âhigherâ courts, which review decisions from trial courts. To appeal a case means to petition an appellate court to overturn or modify a decision of the trial or âlowerâ court. (See Appealing a Conviction and Criminal Writs.) In the state systems, the names of criminal courts vary greatly from state to state.