By The People

By the People Court Graph

The Virginia Court system's foundation is based on documents created by individuals. 

  • Virginia Court System Overview
    • Article VI of Virginia’s Constitution created the Supreme Court of Virginia (the highest court in Virginia) and set the rules for creating other courts.
    • Virginia has four types of courts:
      1. District Courts
      2. Circuit Courts 
      3. The Court of Appeals
      4. The Supreme Court. 
    • The judges for each court are appointed to their terms by the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The people of Virginia vote to elect Members to the General Assembly.

U.S. Court System Overview

  • The United States Supreme Court was established by Article III, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution. It is the highest court in the United States.
  • Below the Supreme Court are 13 Courts of Appeals, which review decisions from 94 District Courts. There is at least one District Court in each state, but some states have several District Courts. These Courts decide disputes involving federal law.
  • Unlike Virginia judges, Federal Court judges are chosen by the President and approved by the Senate.
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