Final answer:
Both the federal judicial branch and most state judicial branches have local and appellate courts. Federal judges, appointed by the President, have lifetime tenures allowing independence, while state judges may be either appointed or elected. The U.S. Supreme Court sits atop both systems and can have original or appellate jurisdiction. The correct answer is option A.
Step-by-step explanation:
Both the federal judicial branch and most state judicial branches are similar in that they contain two primary types of courts: local courts and appellate courts. At the federal level, these are known as district courts and circuit courts, respectively. Conversely, state court structures do tend to vary, but they typically maintain a three-tier system comprising trial courts (which may have various names such as local, superior, or circuit courts), intermediate appellate courts, and a state supreme court.
In the state judicial systems, trial courts handle both criminal and civil cases, ranging from minor infractions to serious felonies. Appellate courts, on the other hand, review cases appealed from the trial courts. At the top of both the state and federal systems is the U.S. Supreme Court, which can have either original or appellate jurisdiction depending on the case.
The presidents appoint federal judges hoping they will reflect their own ideological stances; however, these appointments often yield mixed results due to the lifetime tenure of federal judges, which grants them a degree of independence. Contrary to their federal counterparts, state judges may be elected or appointed, depending on the state's laws and traditions.