Either party may appeal the judge's decision, usually to a board or commission established by the federal agency that issued the regulations. Although such appeals may be brought in any circuit, as a practical matter the D.C. Circuit hears most appeals from federal agencies. Each state, as well as the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, has its own independent judicial system, that operates independently. The highest court in each state is the ultimate authority on what the law is with regard to state law from the state's point of view. The structure of state courts, like that of the federal courts, is in the form of a pyramid.
Some states simply have one level of appeal.
Also like the federal system, state court cases begin at the trial-court level. Cases decided by a trial court are subject to appeal to and review by an appellate court. In some states, as noted above, there is only one level of appeal from the lowest state court. In states in which there are two courts of appeal, rules differ as to whether a case will automatically go to the appeals court or the state supreme court. In some states, appeals from the trial court are brought to the mid-level state appellate court, with subsequent discretionary review by the state supreme court.