The U.S.  Circuit Court has original jurisdiction in civil suits involving $2000 or more, over equity cases, and over cases arising under patent and copyright laws.

[3] To relieve the Supreme Court, which was years behind with its work, congress recently provided for a U.S.  Circuit Court of Appeals in each of the nine circuits, which has final appellate jurisdiction in nearly all cases except those involving the constitutionality of a law.

Clause 3.—­The Trial of Crimes.

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury,[1] and such trial shall be held in the state where said crimes shall have been committed;[4] but when not committed within any state,[3] the trial shall be at such place or places as congress may by law have directed.[4]

[1] A trial by jury is a trial by twelve men impartially selected.  This is regarded as one of the great bulwarks of liberty.

Civil cases may, at the desire of both parties, be tried by the court only.  But for criminal trials a jury is guaranteed by this provision.  In a criminal trial, the state or the nation is the prosecutor, and state or national judges might be tempted to decide unjustly, if the matter were left to them.

[2] This leaves the accused in better condition to defend himself, than if he could be taken away far from home.  He is thus able at the least expense to bring witnesses in his own behalf.  In harmony with this, each state has at least one U. S. District Court for the trial of crimes against the general government. (See Declaration of Independence.)

This provision is probably binding also upon the states.

[3] That is, in the District of Columbia, in one of the territories, in the Indian country, in the forts or arsenals of the United States, or upon the high seas.

[4] Congress has specified courts for the trial of such crimes.  Those committed on the high seas are tried in the state where the vessel arrives. (See pages 230-4.)

SECTION III.—­TREASON.

Clause 1.—­Definition and Trial.

Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.[1] No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.[2]

[1] Treason is, in essence, a deliberate and violent breach of the allegiance due from a citizen or subject to his government.  Being directed against the powers that be, the government in self defense is tempted to punish it severely.  The more tyrannical a government is the more likely it is to be plotted against, and the more suspicious it becomes.  If treason were undefined, the government might declare acts to be treasonable which the people never suspected to be so.  This had occurred so many times, and good men had so often been sent on this charge to an ignominious death, that the framers of the constitution deemed it prudent to define treason carefully in the fundamental law itself.