Which courts are considered lower federal courts?

Lower federal courts are primarily composed of the District Courts and Courts of Appeal, which serve specific functions within the federal judiciary. District Courts are the general trial courts in the federal system where most cases begin. They handle a wide variety of civil and criminal matters and have the authority to hear cases involving federal law and disputes between states.

The Courts of Appeal, also known as Circuit Courts, review decisions made by District Courts, providing a layer of appellate review. This hierarchical structure ensures that there is a systematic process for handling federal cases, allowing for corrections of errors in lower court decisions and legal uniformity across different jurisdictions.

The other options do not represent the structure of lower federal courts accurately. Backup Courts and Trial Courts, while they might exist in some contexts, are not recognized as formal categories within the federal judiciary. Circuit Courts mentioned in another option typically refer to the Courts of Appeal, but pairing them with the Supreme Court, which is the highest court, creates confusion regarding their classification as lower courts. State and Municipal Courts fall outside the scope of the federal court system altogether, as they are part of the state judicial systems and do not address federal matters. Thus, District Courts and Courts of Appeal are the correct representation of lower federal courts.