3. Courts.—
The Constitution provides that the judicial power of the United States shall extend to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; this jurisdiction is confided to the District Courts, of which there are several in each state; appeals lie from their decisions to the Circuit Courts of Appeals; there are nine of these, corresponding to the nine judicial circuits into which the nation is divided; the Supreme Court has a general supervisory jurisdiction over all other courts. While parties having maritime controversies may resort to state courts in cases where the common law affords a remedy, the admiralty jurisdiction of the federal courts is so much more effective in all matters pertaining to the ship that they handle practically all the litigation on the subject.