- The U.S. federal court system has special courts. They are also called legislative courts. These special courts deal with very narrow jurisdictions, generally connected to an expressed power of Congress, such as taxing or the military.
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- The United States Claims Court
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- The United States cannot be sued by anyone without its agreement. In the nation's early days, a person with a claim against the country could secure redress-satisfaction of the claim-only by act of Congress. Congress set up the U.S. Federal Claims Court in 1855 so people could make a case without such legislature.
- The Federal Claims Court has 16 judges. The President and the Senate appoint its judges. They hold trials in which they hear claims for damages against the government. Appeals of the Claims Court's decisions go to Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
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- Other Specialized Courts
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- Congress has created other kinds of courts to deal with specific issues. For example, the territorial courts judge cases in U.S. territories. These include the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The District of Columbia, which is neither a state nor a territory, also has its own court system.
- Two courts hear cases from the military. The Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces acts as the court of last resort for cases involving military law. Its judges are civilians, not members of the armed forces. Appeals can be-but rarely are-heard by the Supreme Court.
The second military court, the Court of Veterans Appeals, hears appeals of decisions from the Board of Veterans Appeals. This court hears cases involving veterans (people who have been in the military) who say that the Department of Veterans Affairs has mishandled their benefits claims. Appeals go to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
- Congress also set up the U.S Tax Court to hear civil cases about tax law. Most of its cases come from the Internal Revenue Service.