Three-Tier Federal Court Hierarchy¶
Learning Objective¶
Students will identify (Bloom L1 — Remember) the three tiers of the federal court system and explain (Bloom L2 — Understand) what kind of jurisdiction each tier exercises and how cases move between levels.
- Bloom Level: Understand (L2)
- Bloom Verb: Identify, Explain
- Library: p5.js
Specification¶
The full specification below is extracted from Chapter 7: "Chapter 7: The Federal Judiciary".
Type: interactive infographic
**sim-id:** federal-court-hierarchy<br/>
**Library:** p5.js<br/>
**Status:** Specified
**Learning objective:** Students will *identify* (Bloom L1 — Remember) the three tiers of the federal court system and *explain* (Bloom L2 — Understand) what kind of jurisdiction each tier exercises and how cases move between levels.
**Design:**
- Three horizontal bands (top = Supreme Court, middle = 13 Circuits, bottom = 94 District Courts), arranged like a pyramid
- Each band is clickable: clicking opens an infobox with facts about that level (number of courts, jurisdiction type, who decides)
- Upward arrows labeled "Appeal" connect district courts → circuit courts → Supreme Court
- A side panel shows "State Court System" with dotted arrows showing that state supreme court decisions on federal/constitutional questions can also reach the U.S. Supreme Court
- A "trace a case" feature lets students click through the path of a hypothetical case from district court complaint to Supreme Court ruling
- The 13 circuit boundaries shown as a small clickable map; clicking a circuit highlights the states it covers
- Canvas: 100% width × 500px; responsive