The Judicial Branch

This branch consists of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. This branch interprets the law. That means these courts hear cases to decide how the Constitution and other national laws apply to them. Article III creates the office of Chief Justice of the United States and tells Congress to create a Supreme Court. The Constitution also allows Congress to create other federal courts. Today, we have federal courts for trials, appeals, and special areas of the law, such as immigration. An appeal means a transfer of a legal case from a lower to a higher court for a new hearing.

Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007

The Supreme Court building