What is the highest court in the United States?

• A. Supreme Court
• B. Court of Appeals
• C. District Court
• D. Circuit Court

Answer: (A)

The highest court in the United States is the Supreme Court. It sits at the top of the federal judiciary and has the final say on federal constitutional questions, exercising judicial review to interpret the Constitution and strike down laws or executive actions that conflict with it. Cases generally begin in district courts (trial courts) and may be appealed to Courts of Appeals (often referred to as circuit courts). The Supreme Court can review select decisions from those appellate courts, and its rulings are final nationwide. It also has limited original jurisdiction in a narrow set of cases, such as disputes between states. The other courts are lower in the hierarchy and cannot overturn Supreme Court decisions. The term circuit court is not the official federal name for the appellate level; the proper term is Court of Appeals, which remains below the Supreme Court.