In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court invalidated a state statute restricting women's access to abortion. According to the Court, the statute violated a pregnant woman's constitutional right of privacy. Common law covers areas not covered by statutes. There are several types of courts. Cases are tried in trial courts.
Appellate courts review the decisions of the trial courts.
The federal court system is divided into 13 judicial circuits. Eleven of the circuits are numbered. Each of the numbered circuits contains more than one state. The Ninth Circuit, for example, covers California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii. The Twelfth and Thirteenth circuits are the District of Columbia Circuit and the Federal Circuit.