Subject-matter jurisdiction is the authority of a court to hear and determine cases of the general class to which the proceedings in question belong. There are seven subject-matter courts in the United States, sixArticle I and oneArticle III. These courts differ from federal courts with territorial jurisdiction, like theUnited States District Court that hears a wide range of cases that come from defined regional areas, in that they are given a defined type of case on which they can rule. It is possible for territorial jurisdiction to be waived and a case to be heard outside of the region it originated in, however subject-matter jurisdiction cannot be waived without nullifying the case.^[1]

Article I courts

AnArticle I tribunal is afederal court organized underArticle I of theUnited States Constitution. Article I courts are created by theUnited States Congress and have differing levels of independence from the executive and legislative branches. They can be Article I courts (also called legislative courts) set up by Congress to review agency decisions, ancillary courts with judges appointed by Article III appeals court judges, or administrative agencies.

The existence of Article I tribunals is controversial and has been the subject of cases before theSupreme Court. The court has ruled that Article I tribunals may exist, but that their power must be circumscribed and, when a potential deprivation of life, liberty, property, or property interest is involved, their decisions are subject to ultimate review in an Article III court.^[2]

Article I judges

Article Ifederal judges are not subject to the same protections asArticle III judges. Differences for Article I judges are:

• They do not have life tenure.
• Their salaries may be reduced by Congress.

United States Tax Court

TheUnited States Tax Court has jurisdiction over disputes that involve the federal income tax. The court is authorized to have 19 federally appointed judges. A judge's term is 15 years in length, not a lifetime appointment. The court was created on December 30, 1969, by the Tax Reform Act of 1969.[3]

Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces has jurisdiction over all United States military appeals worldwide. The court is authorized to have 5 federally appointed judges. A judge's term is 15 years in length. The court was created on May 31, 1951. The court was originally called the United States Court of Military Appeals and was changed to its current name in 1994.[4]

Court of Military Commission Review

TheUnited States Court of Military Commission Review reviews military commission cases submitted to the court. The court is composed of panels of at least three appellate military judges. The court was created in 2009 afterCongress passed the Military Commissions Act of 2009, which allowed the rights of the accused in military commissions to be expanded.[5]

Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims

TheUnited States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims hears appeals of the Board of Veteran Appeals. The court is authorized to have 7 judges. Judges are appointed to 15-year terms, after which they may be called back to serve onsenior status. The court was created on November 18, 1988, in response to lack of judicial review of claims made by veterans after the Vietnam War. The court was originally named the United States Court of Veterans Appeals and was changed to its current name in 1999.

Court of Federal Claims

TheUnited States Court of Federal Claims has congruent jurisdiction with the district courts over contractual monetary claims against the federal government under $10,000 and sole jurisdiction on cases over $10,000.[6] The court is authorized to have 16 judges. Judges of the court serve 15-year appointments. The court was created in 1855 as theUnited States Court of Claims. The court was reorganized in 1982 and became theUnited States Court of Federal Claims.[7]

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

TheUnited States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court hears requests for surveillance of foreign intelligence agents in the United States. The court consists of 11 judges appointed by theChief Justice of theSupreme Court of the United States. Judges of the court serve 7-year non-renewable terms and must be from no less than seven judicial circuits. The court was created in 1978 by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (92 Stat. 1783) and expanded by The USA Patriot Act of 2001 (115 Stat. 272)

Article III courts

Article III federal judges are appointed for life, during "good behavior." They are appointed by thePresident of the United States and confirmed by theU.S. Senate in accordance withArticle III of theUnited States Constitution.

Article III judges, besides serving in theSupreme Court of the United States also serve in:

• One of the thirteenU.S. courts of appeal.
• One of the ninety-fourU.S. district courts.
• Judges of theCourt of International Trade are also federal judges appointed under Article III of the U.S. Constitution.

Justices and judges of these courts exercise what Article III calls "the judicial power of the United States."

Article III, Section I of the U.S. Constitution states:

Court of International Trade

TheUnited States Court of International Trade hears cases that involve international trade and customs laws. The court consists of 9 judges appointed by the President. The judges serve lifetime appointments. The court was created in its current form by the Customs Courts Act of 1980.

See also

• United States federal courts

External links

• United States Tax Court
• United States Court of International Trade
• United States Court of Federal Claims
• United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
• United States Court of Appeals for Veterans' Claims
• United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court

Footnotes