Federal Courts & What They Do

You probably realize that there are both federal courts and state courts. The two kinds of courts are a result of a principle of our Constitution called federalism. Federalism gives some functions to the United States government and leaves the other functions to the states. The functions of the U.S.-or federal-government involve the nation as a whole and include regulating commerce between the states and with foreign countries, providing for the national defense, and administering federal l...