Rules of General Jurisdiction in the USA

• Pages: 232-235

Vol. 7 No. 2

July, 2021

ISSN 2410-3918

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

237

Academic Journal of Business, Administration, Law and Social Sciences

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

Rules of General Jurisdiction in the USA

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Endri Papajorgji

Dean of the Faculty of Law of TBU (Tirana Business University)

Dr. Jonida Gjuzi Bushi

University of Tirana

Abstract

Thisarticlewillanalyzethemainrules of jurisdiction in the US. First, let’s take a look at

the American legal system. As in the federal states, also for international jurisdiction must

betakenintoaccount that each individual state within the central state must be analyzed

separately.Forthisreason,itisimportanttounderstandtherelationshipbetweentheUSand

individualstates.Governingauthorityisshared betweenthefederation andthestates.Each

ofthemhasitsownsystemofgovernment,whichconsistsofthelegislature,theexecutiveand

the judiciary.

State legislation adopts state laws, while the federal legislature (Congress) passes federal

laws. 1

Specicareas oflaw are regulatedby federalstatutes(eg patents),but many generalareas,

including contracts, damages and property are governed by the laws of States, although

federallegislationmayinterveneinspeciccases.

Every state has a complete judicial system. As in any judicial system, there are three instances,

that of the First Instance, that of the Court of Appeal and a High (supreme) Court of the state.

Inadditiontothisrst,thereisalsoacompletefederalsystem.Thecourtsareknownasfederal

districtcourts. The US consists of a number of federal judicial districts,eachwith its own

federal district court. Federal legal districts may consist of a full state or part of a state. Each

state,therefore,hasatleastonefederalcourtaswellasstatecourts.TheU.S.CourtofAppeals

hasjurisdictionoverthe districtcourtsfor dierentcounties(eachcountyconsistsoffederal

judicial districts) and on top of them stands the US Supreme Court.

The federal judicial system and judicial systems in every US state are created to complement

eachother,anissueisadjudicatedeitherthroughoneorthroughtheother.However,theUS

SupremeCourtmayreviewthedecisionsofhighercourtswhereafederalcaseisinvolved. 2

Keywords:Jurisdiction,International,Law,USA,Process.

Introduction

Sincetherearetwoseparatejudicialsystems,thequestionthatisaskedmustcontain

thequestion:whenacasewillbetriedbeforeastatecourtandwhenwill itbetried

inafederalcourt?Theanswerto this question involves jurisdiction in a dierent

sense from that considered in the previous chapters. In this case it is not a question

ofinternationaljurisdiction,butwithwhatisknownasthejurisdictionofthecase.In

otherwords,wedonotconsiderwhethertheissuemaybebroughtbeforeaparticular

state,orintheUS.Thequestionthatariseshasnothingtodowithwhatthecasecan

be tried in a separate state, but must be brought before federal courts in that state

 1 Bussani/ Werro, European 138.

 2Caagi/WaMuir,Theregulatory263.