DC Courts Competitors

The U.S. Courts, located in courthouses across the nation, safeguard the constitutional rights and liberties of the public. Judges, court clerks, federal public defenders, law clerks, probation and pretrial services officers, technology specialists, human resources and budget specialists, administrative staff, and many others with a variety of skills and talents work in support of this mission. We invite you to learn more about us and join the people who work to help ensure equal justice under the law. About the Courts As Guardians of the Constitution, the U.S. Courts address cases and controversies that can impact the lives of all Americans. The U.S. Courts: - Help individuals and businesses who cannot pay their debts. - Resolve civil disputes involving failure to meet legal agreements. - Decide criminal cases alleging violations of federal criminal laws. - Conduct naturalization ceremonies for new U.S. citizens. - Work with criminal defendants and offenders in the probation and pretrial system. - Provide federal public defenders to those who cannot afford legal counsel. - Call those 18 years and older to serve on juries. - Call witnesses to testify in civil or criminal cases. The U.S. Courts System is comprised of the U.S. Supreme Court; 13 U.S. Courts of Appeals; 94 U.S. District Courts, which include U.S. Bankruptcy Courts; Courts of Special Jurisdiction; U.S. Probation and U.S. Pretrial Services Offices; Federal Public Defenders Offices; and several support agencies, including the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, and the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

The Government of the District of Columbia operates under Article One of the United States Constitution and the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which devolves certain powers of the United States Congress to the Mayor and thirteen-member Council. The Mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch, overseeing 21 Departments, 33 independent agencies, roughly 69 legislatively mandated offices and 5 regional bodies. These include all city services, public property, police and fire protection, District of Columbia Public Schools, The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and UDC-Community College. The mayor's office oversees an annual city budget of roughly $8.8 billion. http://dc.gov/directory The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch. Each of the city's eight wards elects a single member of the council and residents elect four at-large members to represent the District as a whole. The council chair is also elected at-large. http://dccouncil.us/ There are 37 Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) elected by small neighborhood districts. ANCs can issue recommendations on all issues that affect residents; government agencies take their advice under careful consideration. http://anc.dc.gov/ The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is the highest court. Established in 1970, it is equivalent to a state supreme court, except that its authority is derived from the United States Congress rather than from the inherent sovereignty of the states. http://www.dccourts.gov/internet/appellate/main.jsf The Superior Court of the District of Columbia is the local trial court. It hears cases involving criminal and civil law. The court also handles specialized cases in the following areas: family court, landlord and tenant, probate, tax, and traffic offenses. http://www.dccourts.gov/internet/

The mission of the Department of Justice (DOJ) is to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights. Learn more about the Department and its mission at www.justice.gov/about