United States Court System

How Cases Make Their Way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Each year, about 4,500 cases are requested for review by the Supreme Court. Less than 200 cases are actually decided by the Court each year.
There are three ways for a case to make its way to the US Supreme Court.
There are cases in which the US Supreme Court has original jurisdiction
Those cases appealed from lower federal courts can be heard at the Supreme Court.
The US Supreme Court reviews appeals from state supreme courts that present substantial "federal questions," usually where a constitutional right has been denied in the state courts.…