While the vast majority of cases considered by the Other major original jurisdiction cases involve a state government taking an out-of-state citizen to court. The exact wording of Article III, Section 2, states: However, though few, these cases are still very important. Both Congress and the states immediately saw this as a threat to the sovereignty of the states and reacted by adopting the Eleventh Amendment, which states: “The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.”
However, in cases dealing with disputed physical facts or actions, as often happens because they have not been heard by a trial court, the Supreme Court usually appoints a special master to the case. The special master—usually an attorney retained by the Court—conducts what amounts to a trial by gathering evidence, taking sworn testimony, and making a ruling. In other words, it is a court’s power to hear and decide a case before any appellate review. An important aspect of the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction is that its Congress cannot expand its scope. This was established in the bizarre “ This is a unique publication. The original jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court is the court’s authority to hear and decide certain types of cases before they have been heard by any lower court. Under 28 U.S.C. Next, the Supreme Court decides whether to accept the special master’s report as it is or to hear arguments over disagreements with it. Robert Longley is a U.S. government and history expert with over 30 years of experience in municipal government and urban planning. Today, it is assumed that the Supreme Court's jurisdiction over other types of suits involving the states was to be concurrent or shared, with the state courts. Most commonly, original jurisdiction cases involve suits between states as parties, usually over territorial or water rights disputes. In certain types of cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has original jurisdiction concurrently with lower courts. Although Chief Justice Marshall apparently assumed the Court had exclusive jurisdiction of cases within its original jurisdiction, Section 1251(a), the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over four categories of cases, meaning parties involved in these types of cases can take them directly to the Supreme Court, thus bypassing the usually lengthy appeals court process. As originally defined in Article III, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, and now codified in federal law at 28 U.S.C. Finally, the Supreme Court determines the outcome of the case through a traditional vote along with written statements of concurrence and dissent. In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In fact, on average, only two to three of the nearly 100 cases heard annually by the Supreme Court are considered under original jurisdiction. These three volumes contain the only collection of all substantive decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court under its original jurisdiction. Why? In practice, the Supreme Court has only rarely exercised its jurisdiction over foreign officials. Most original jurisdiction cases involve border or water rights disputes between two or more states, and cases of this type can only be resolved by the Supreme Court. This process results in thousands of pages of records and transcripts that must be compiled, prepared, and weighed by the special master. Under the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court considers certain cases directly without taking them as an appeal from lower courts. In the United States, courts having original jurisdiction are referred to as trial courts. In cases involving controversies between states, federal law gives the Supreme Court both original—and exclusive—jurisdiction, meaning such cases may be heard only by the Supreme Court. For example, the now-famous original jurisdiction case of The master may also need to hold hearings in which arguments by lawyers, additional evidence, and witness testimonies are presented. In original jurisdiction cases dealing with disputed interpretations of the law or the U.S. Constitution, the Court itself will usually hear traditional oral arguments by attorneys on the case. For example, in the landmark 1966 case of How original jurisdiction cases are heard—and whether they'll require a "special master"—depends on the nature of the dispute. Furthermore, reaching a solution when lawsuits are involved can take additional time and manpower.
The Supreme Court deals differently with cases considered under its original jurisdiction than those reaching it through more traditional appellate jurisdiction. § 1251. § 1251, the Supreme court has original and exclusive jurisdiction over controversies between two or more states, and original (but non-exclusive) jurisdiction over cases involving officials of foreign states, controversies between the federal government and a state, actions by a state against the citizens of another state or foreign country. The Constitution established the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction to provide a tribunal of the highest stature for disputes to which a state was a party and for cases involving the representatives of foreign nations.