ABSTRACT
Appeals from the circuit level courts are usually referred to the Court of Appeals or appellate level for the individual state. The courts at this level usually hear criminal appeals, civil appeals, and appeals from administrative agencies based upon the party's right to appeal. At the circuit level in many state courts, contract and tort actions are usually above an established dollar amount and criminal cases usually are at the felony level or criminal appeals from the district level. From a structure prospective, most state judicial systems mirror the federal system with a trial level, appellate level, and a high court with specialty courts usually incorporated into the trail level. The Occupational Safety and Health Act covers most private sector employers and their workers, in addition to some state and local government employers and their workers in the 50 states and certain territories and jurisdictions under federal authority.
