Most important, Americans like to see Justice carried out. The high-tech forensics of CSS Miami are interesting; however the the court history and purpose of upholding the law, protecting individuals, and resolving disputes is more interesting. The United States Court System and its Purpose There is a separate court system for each state in the United States of America. Each is unique and independent, and no one state court Judiciary is exactly as the next.
State courts are typically limited in geographical Jurisdiction and in the cases heard. The court represents and expresses the collective conscience of society. Courts have the responsibility of punishing wrongdoers, serve as an agency of social intro, determines which behaviors may be acceptable, and which deserve severe sanction. Without courts, those who break the law would have no regard to society and would receive no punishment. Therefore, the United States court system is quite diverse (Siegel, Schmeltzer, & World, 2011).
The United States Dual-Court System The United States has a dual-court system with federal, and state courts, in which the courts closely resemble and complement one another. A dual-court system is the result of general agreement among the nation’s founders about the need for individual states to retain significant legislative authority and Judicial independence separate from federal control. Under this concept, the United States developed as a relatively loose federation of semi-independent provinces.
New states Joining the union were assured of limited federal intervention in local affairs. State legislatures were free to create laws, and state court systems were needed to hear cases in which violations of laws occurred (Siegel, Schmeltzer, & World, 2011). The Role that Early Legal Codes, the Common Law, and Precedent Played in the Development of Courts To understand modern-day courts and laws, one must also move backward in time and understand the earliest-known example of a formal written legal code the Code of Hamburg.
The code expressed an eye for an eye philosophy. The early legal codes were harsh and signified a formal law. Legal codes have changed and evolved over the years, but the use of political authority to enforce such codes remain constant. Common Law emerged at a time when legal codes were in infancy. Judges issued decisions when there were not necessarily formal statutes to criminality forms of conduct. Early colonists brought English common law tradition to America. Today, courts follow earlier courts’ decisions as well as decisions issued by higher courts.
Anglo-Saxons had no Bill of Rights to protect them, but the Magna Cart offered a number of protections. The first American courts were English institutions because the United States was a colony under English rule. In general, colonial system, one needs to examine it, similar to the way crime scene investigators examine evidence, piece by piece (Siegel, Schmeltzer, & World, 2011). The Roles of the Courts in Criminal Justice Today Courts exists so that Judges can do Justice. Courts are important to the study of criminal Justice for adjudication and oversight.
Adjudication is who will answer for a criminal act and courts provide oversight once a particular matter comes to the attention of a court. The main functions of the court are protecting individuals, revolving disputes, and upholding the law.