Final answer:
Article III of the Constitution requires the existence of a Supreme Court and inferior courts, granting Congress the power to establish the judiciary's structure and number of justices. It outlines the jurisdiction of federal courts and has led to the current dual court system. Through landmark decisions, the Supreme Court plays a crucial role in interpreting and upholding civil liberties and rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
Article III of the Constitution vests judicial power in the federal courts and requires the existence of a Supreme Court and inferior courts. This Article grants Congress the discretion to shape the structure of the federal judiciary. The current system includes the Supreme Court, which is the highest court and head of the Judicial Branch, and grants Congress the power to create lower federal courts. The judiciary operates as a dual court system with the capacity for trial, appellate, and supreme courts both on national and state levels.
Historically, under the Articles of Confederation, there was no national judiciary; this was remedied with the ratification of the Constitution. Congress is granted the power to establish the number of justices on the Supreme Court and to create the lower federal courts. The first Congress addressed the generality of Article III with the Federal Judiciary Act of 1789, establishing the framework for the judiciary system that has evolved over time.
The jurisdiction of federal courts is outlined in Section 2 of Article III, detailing the authority of these courts to hear cases and the types of cases they can decide upon. The Supreme Court's jurisdiction includes original jurisdiction in rare cases such as disputes between states, and appellate jurisdiction, where it hears appeals from lower courts. Through landmark decisions, the Supreme Court upholds individual civil liberties and civil rights, interpreting the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.