Final answer:
Colonial and modern courts are based on the British common law system, emphasizing an adversarial judicial system. Colonial Vice Admiralty Courts often enforced trade laws without juries, while the current U.S. federal court system includes trial and appellate courts, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.
Step-by-step explanation:
Colonial courts and modern ones are guided by a system that finds its roots in the British common law tradition. This system incorporates an adversarial judicial system where cases are contested by opposing parties in front of an impartial judge or jury. Both the historical Vice Admiralty Courts and the current federal and state court structures reflect the British influence, with a hierarchy that includes trial courts, appellate courts, and courts of last resort, such as the supreme courts.
During the colonial period, certain acts, such as the Navigation Acts, were enforced by Vice Admiralty Courts that operated without juries, denying the colonists' right to a jury trial—a fundamental British right at the time. Conversely, today's federal court system is a dual system that operates with both trial and appellate courts and is overseen by the U.S. Supreme Court at the federal level, alongside diverse state court systems.