| | Constitution Day is on September 17th each year, to celebrate the "Framers" who signed the U.S. Constitution at the completion of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787.<ref>http://www.constitutionday.com/</ref> These Framers were led by George Washington, who presided over the convention, and included Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and, from New Jersey, William Livingston and William Paterson. Note that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were not part of the Constitutional Convention and never signed the Constitution, because they were away representing the United States to foreign nations at the time (in England and France, respectively). Indeed, this entire week, from September 17 through 23, is "Constitution Week." | | Constitution Day is on September 17th each year, to celebrate the "Framers" who signed the U.S. Constitution at the completion of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787.<ref>http://www.constitutionday.com/</ref> These Framers were led by George Washington, who presided over the convention, and included Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and, from New Jersey, William Livingston and William Paterson. Note that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were not part of the Constitutional Convention and never signed the Constitution, because they were away representing the United States to foreign nations at the time (in England and France, respectively). Indeed, this entire week, from September 17 through 23, is "Constitution Week." |
| − | These Circuits average about a dozen active judges each, with far more for the massive Ninth Circuit, and less for the smaller Circuits such as the D.C. Circuit. | + | These Circuits average about a dozen active judges each, with far more for the massive Ninth Circuit, and less for the smaller Circuits such as the D.C. Circuit. In total there are more than 100 federal appellate judges in the United States. |
| | These Circuits have a duty to accept and hear appeals brought before them. Someone in a federal lawsuit has a mandatory right to appeal a district court decision to this level, and obtain a review of what the district court decided. | | These Circuits have a duty to accept and hear appeals brought before them. Someone in a federal lawsuit has a mandatory right to appeal a district court decision to this level, and obtain a review of what the district court decided. |
| − | District Court is the trial level, where cases are decided by juries or by the judge himself. | + | District Court is the trial level, where cases are decided by juries or by the judge himself. There are a total of 89 districts in the 50 United States (New Jersey and Alaska have only one federal district each, but Oklahoma has three!). There are also district courts in territories of the United States, such as Puerto Rico, where proceedings must be conducted by law in English even though Spanish is the language of that island. |
| | The Seventh Amendment guarantees a right to a jury trial when someone sues for damages. But when a lawsuit is for an injunction, such as ordering a school to remove the Ten Commandments, then there is no right to a jury trial, and the judge will conduct a "bench trial" whereby the judge decides the issue. | | The Seventh Amendment guarantees a right to a jury trial when someone sues for damages. But when a lawsuit is for an injunction, such as ordering a school to remove the Ten Commandments, then there is no right to a jury trial, and the judge will conduct a "bench trial" whereby the judge decides the issue. |