Crash Course Government Episode Worksheet | 19 - Structure of the Court System

Describe the hierarchical structure of the U.S. court system and where the vast majority of cases begin

Distinguish original jurisdiction from appellate jurisdiction at the trial, appeals, and Supreme Court levels

Identify the four scenarios in which federal courts have original jurisdiction

Plan pause points at the multi-part questions — number 6 asks for four federal-jurisdiction scenarios and number 13 for two decision rules — since these need more writing time than the surrounding items

Hand out the answer document after viewing for self-checking; its responses are written as model complete sentences students can compare against their own

Question 15, on the kinds of cases the Supreme Court usually takes, extends naturally into a discussion of current circuit splits or pending constitutional questions

Active video note-taking — students answer fifteen sequenced questions in complete sentences while episode 19 plays, matching each answer to the video's order.

Court-system structure — students trace the hierarchy from state trial courts and U.S. district courts up through appellate levels to the Supreme Court.

Jurisdiction distinctions — students separate original from appellate jurisdiction, including the four scenarios where federal courts hear a case first.