Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Alaska Federal and State Jurisdiction
THE ALASKA MODEL
Federal and State Jurisdiction
Alaska is the 49h state of the United States of America and the largest (State of Alaska, 2013). Its capital is Juneau and Fairbanks is the only large city. Its government is divided into three co-equal branches, namely the executive, the legislative, and the judicial, for purposes of checks and balances. The judicial branch consists of three separate entities, i.e., the Alaska Court System, the Alaska Judicial Council and the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct (State of Alaska).
Alaska has a unified and centrally operated court system, which is completely State-funded (State of Alaska, 2013). The State's court system has four levels with individual powers, duties and responsibilities. The first two, the Superior Court and District Court, are trial courts. They are the first that hear and decide cases. The other two are the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, which review and work on appeals from verdicts emanating from the trial courts. State courts try mainly street crimes, which require prompt action. These include burglary, robberies and murder. Federal courts, on the other hand, tackle more complicated cases, such as immigration violations, frauds, illegal possession of firearms and money laundering (Fradella @ Neubauer, 2013 as qtd in State of Alaska).
The nearest courthouse is at 101 Lacy Street in Fairbanks Alaska 99581. The Supreme Court Justices are Dana Fabe, Daniel E. Winfree, Craig Stowers, Peter J.Maaseen, and Joel H. Bolger (State of Alaska, 2013). The justices at the Court of Appeals are Davin Meinheimer and Marjorie Allard. The court system also strives to serve the needs of the citizens by selecting judges through an appointment process instead of running for public office (Alaska Humanities Forum, 2013). Voters decide whether to keep them or not. And judges are mandated to serve only up to age 70 (Alaska Humanities Forum).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alaska, State of (2013). Profile of the Alaska court system. State of Alaska. Retrieved on August 30, 2013 from http://www.courts.alaska.gov/reports/profile2013.pdf
Alaska Humanities Forum (2013). Governing Alaska. Alaska History and Cultural
Studies. Retrieved on August 30, 2013 from http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=405
The last and final level of the federal court system is the U.S. Supreme Court. A federal defendant begins his case in the District Court, but can appeal decisions. Because there is an essential difference between the violation of state and local laws and the violation of federal laws, it would seem as if federal law enforcement agents would play a different role from state or local agents. Pop media
Federal vs. State Crime While some crimes are deemed to be state crimes, others are considered to be federal crimes. In essence, a vast majority of crimes are heard and determined in state courts as they happen to be state crimes. In seeking to distinguish between federal and state jurisdiction in prosecutions of a criminal nature, and in reference to crimes against persons, this text will concern itself with kidnapping. Kidnapping,
federal question refers to the idea that a case involves federal issues, and thus triggers federal jurisdiction. Federal questions include cases involving the U.S. Constitution, acts of Congress and other federal laws, and treaties. Other issues may also trigger federal jurisdiction, such as when litigants are in two different states, or when a litigant has filed suit against a state. What is diversity jurisdiction? Diversity jurisdiction refers to federal court jurisdiction
Federal CourtsThe United States judicial system is based on the federal courts structure as established in Article III of the Constitution. This system has been the subject of numerous studies and publications that seek to explain how it works. William A. Fletcher and James E. Pfander wrote a book, Gilbert Law Summaries on Federal Courts, which provides an outline of the federal court system in the U.S. The book provides
The Various Types of JurisdictionsToday, the concept of jurisdiction is frequently heard with respect to high-profile criminal cases where the legal stakes are high. Jurisdiction, though, is also a relevant and essential aspect of the legal system for all types of legal cases since it relates to the courts� authority to hear and decide on specific legal issues or controversies and, in turn, award damages or other types of relief
Jurisdiction The law expresses itself through the means of the court and its officers. The procedures and rules that accompany the various legal systems of these courts is essential knowledge for those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of the law and how it works. The purpose of this essay is to discuss and compare the differences jurisdictional issues within the United States court system. This paper will first define these