In the U.S. Court system there are two basic types of cases: criminal law cases and civil law cases.
A civil law case consists of a dispute between two parties, one of whom may be the government, over a diverse range of subjects from child custody, to divorce, to mergers, to property ownership and contracts and much more. Civil law consists of laws passed by governing bodies as well as what is called common law, the accumulation of judicial descisions about an issue.
Criminal cases consist of an individual who has been charged by the government for breaking a specific law (like robbery, murder, etc). These offenses are usually harmful to another person, or society as a whole, but in either case the offense warrants a punishment like imprisonment, a fine, or other type of sentencing.
The majority of cases that are heard in the judicial system are at the state and local level. Many cases never even reach the federal courts.
A civil law case consists of a dispute between two parties, one of whom may be the government, over a diverse range of subjects from child custody, to divorce, to mergers, to property ownership and contracts and much more. Civil law consists of laws passed by governing bodies as well as what is called common law, the accumulation of judicial descisions about an issue.
Criminal cases consist of an individual who has been charged by the government for breaking a specific law (like robbery, murder, etc). These offenses are usually harmful to another person, or society as a whole, but in either case the offense warrants a punishment like imprisonment, a fine, or other type of sentencing.
The majority of cases that are heard in the judicial system are at the state and local level. Many cases never even reach the federal courts.