constitutional-law us-constitution
What is the apex court in the USA?
<p>In South Africa we have the constitution court which dedicates itself to constitutional matters. The US has a constitution like South Africa has but as far as I know no court dedicated to a addressing constitutional issues specifically ? How exactly is a decision about a constitutional matters made at a national level so all states are willing to accept it? Or is it just as simple as the supreme court in the USA is the con-court by another name?</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Supreme Court of the United States</a> is our apex court. Its decisions on constitutional questions are binding throughout the country.</p>
<p>It is not, however, limited to considering constitutional issues, as it may also consider appeals addressing questions of statutory interpretation and rules of procedure. In very limited cases, it may also sit as a trial court in cases where it has <a href="https://www.fjc.gov/history/courts/jurisdiction-original-supreme-court" rel="nofollow noreferrer">original jurisdiction</a>.</p>

<p>There is not just one apex court in the United States.</p>
<p>As <a href="https://law.stackexchange.com/a/66558/46948">bdb484 says in their answer</a>, the United States Supreme Court is <em>an</em> apex court, but that is only true for cases within the <a href="https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/court-role-and-structure/comparing-federal-state-courts" rel="nofollow noreferrer">jurisdiction of the federal courts</a> or <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artIII-S2-C2-5/ALDE_00001223/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">when appealing from a state supreme court on federal grounds</a>.</p>
<p>When the question is wholly within state court jurisdiction, and raising no federal question of law, the state supreme court is the apex court (in some states, this court is named the state &quot;Court of Appeals&quot; or a variant).</p>
<p>There are effectively 51 distinct judicial systems in the United States (one for each state, and one for the federal judiciary), each with their own apex court.</p>
