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The Federal Government The Federal Government The three branches of the federal government provide a base for the way we live our lives. The process by which the Judicial, Legislative, and Executive branches operate is long, but necessary. Each branch has a duty to watch the others through a process of checks and balances mandated by the Constitution of the United States. The following will give a brief explanation of each branch and their duties. Judicial Branch Our Judicial branch of government is defined in Article III of the Constitution and by Congress. It has been formed into a 3-tiered pyramid configuration. On the bottom are the District Courts, in the middle are the Courts of Appeal and on the top is the Supreme Court. The District courts are where most cases involving federal law begin. Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution specifies these cases. Currently there are 89 district courts in 50 states (at least one per state), one in the District of Columbia, and one in Puerto Rico. There are also Territorial Federal District courts in Guam, The Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands which have local jurisdiction, for a total of 94 district courts(Encarta). Our state of Mich