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Structure of Courts
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Function
Below are all of the laws that govern the structure of courts that match your search criteria.
126 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Court/legal body | Function | |
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Arizona | Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. §12-120 | Creation of court of appeals; court of record; composition; sessions |
A. There is created a court of appeals which shall constitute a single court and such court shall be a court of record.B. The court of appeals shall be divided + See moreinto two divisions which shall be designated as division 1 and division 2. Division 1 shall have sixteen judges, consisting of the chief judge and five departments of three judges each, denominated, respectively, department A, department B, department C, department D and department E. Division 2 shall have six judges, consisting of two departments of three judges each, denominated, respectively, department A and department B.
C. Division 1 shall consist of the counties of Maricopa, Yuma, La Paz, Mohave, Coconino, Yavapai, Navajo and Apache.
D. Division 2 shall consist of the counties of Pima, Pinal, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Greenlee, Graham and Gila.
E. The sessions of divisions 1 and 2 shall be held in Phoenix and Tucson, respectively. Sessions may be held at places other than Phoenix or Tucson when in the opinion of a majority of the judges of a division or department the public interest so requires. The judges of the respective divisions and departments may hold sessions in either division and shall do so when directed by the chief justice of the supreme court. Each judge of the court of appeals may participate in matters pending before a different division or department.
F. No more than three judges of the court of appeals, including superior court judges and retired judges sitting with the court, shall hear and determine a matter and render a decision, and a majority of two of the three judges shall be sufficient to render a decision.
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Court of Appeals | Creation of the courts |
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Arizona | Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22-402 | Establishment and jurisdiction |
A. In each city or town incorporated under the general laws of this state, there shall be a municipal court. |
Municipal Courts | Creation of the courts |
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Arizona | Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22-402 | Establishment and jurisdiction |
A. In each city or town incorporated under the general laws of this state, there shall be a municipal court.B. Every court established pursuant to subsection A, and every court established in a city incorporated under the provisions of title 9, chapter 2, article 51 or incorporated under the provisions of a special act or charter, has jurisdiction of all cases arising under the ordinances of the city or town, and has jurisdiction concurrently with justices of the peace of precincts in which the city or town is located, of violations of laws of the state committed within the limits of the city or town. C. Notwithstanding subsections A and B and in lieu of establishing or maintaining a municipal court, a city or town may enter into an intergovernmental agreement as authorized by title 11, chapter 7, article 32 to provide the services of a municipal court, including the jurisdiction of all cases arising under the ordinances of the city or town, with either: 1. A justice of the peace in whose jurisdiction the city or town is located and the county in which the city or town is located. 2. Another city or town located within the same county as the city or town.
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Municipal Courts | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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California | Cal. Con. art. VI, § 2 | Supreme Court; justices; time for convening; concurrence required for judgment; acting Chief Justice |
The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice ofCalifornia and 6 associate justices. The Chief Justice may convene
the court at any time. Concurrence of 4 judges present at + See morethe
argument is necessary for a judgment.
An acting Chief Justice shall perform all functions of the Chief
Justice when the Chief Justice is absent or unable to act. The Chief
Justice or, if the Chief Justice fails to do so, the court shall
select an associate justice as acting Chief Justice.
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Supreme Court | Creation of the courts |
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California | Cal. Con. art. VI, § 3 | Courts of appeal; districts; divisions; power; concurrence required for judgment; acting presiding justice |
The Legislature shall divide the State into districts eachcontaining a court of appeal with one or more divisions. Each
division consists of a presiding justice and 2 or more associate
justices. + See more It has the power of a court of appeal and shall conduct
itself as a 3-judge court. Concurrence of 2 judges present at the
argument is necessary for a judgment.
An acting presiding justice shall perform all functions of the
presiding justice when the presiding justice is absent or unable to
act. The presiding justice or, if the presiding justice fails to do
so, the Chief Justice shall select an associate justice of that
division as acting presiding justice.
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Court of Appeals | Creation of the courts |
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California | Cal. Con. Art. VI, Sec. 4 | Superior courts; officers and employees; appellate divisions |
In each county there is a superior court of one or morejudges. The Legislature shall prescribe the number of judges and
provide for the officers and employees of each superior + See morecourt. If
the governing body of each affected county concurs, the Legislature
may provide that one or more judges serve more than one superior
court.
In each superior court there is an appellate division. The Chief
Justice shall assign judges to the appellate division for specified
terms pursuant to rules, not inconsistent with statute, adopted by
the Judicial Council to promote the independence of the appellate
division.
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Superior Court | Creation of the courts |
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California | Cal. Con. art. VI, § 12 | Supreme Court; review | The Supreme Court may review the decision of a court of appeal in any cause. | Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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California | Cal. Const. art. VI, § 1 | Judicial power | The judicial power of this State is vested in the Supreme Court, courts of appeal, and superior courts, all of which are courts of record. | Judicial power generally | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Const. Art. VI, § III, Para. I | Jurisdiction of Classes of Courts of Limited Jurisdiction |
The magistrate, juvenile, and state courts shall have uniform jurisdiction as provided by law. Probate courts shall have such jurisdiction as now or hereafter provided by law, without regard to uniformity.
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Magistrate | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Const. Art. VI, § IV, Para. I | Jurisdiction of Superior Courts |
The superior courts shall have jurisdiction in all cases, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution. They shall have exclusive jurisdiction over trials in felony cases, except in the case of juvenile offenders as provided by law; in cases respecting title to land; and in divorce cases. They shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the state-wide business court in equity cases. A superior court by agreement of the parties may order removal of a case to the state-wide business court as provided by law. The superior courts shall have such appellate jurisdiction, either alone or by circuit or district, as may be provided by law.
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Superior Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Code Ann. § 15-6-8 | Jurisdiction and Powers of Superior Courts |
The superior courts have authority: (1) To exercise original, exclusive, or concurrent jurisdiction, as the case may be, of all causes, both civil and criminal, granted to them by the Constitution and laws; (2) To exercise the powers of a court of equity; (3) To exercise appellate jurisdiction from judgments of the probate or magistrate courts as provided by law; (4) To exercise a general supervision over all inferior tribunals and to review and correct, in the manner prescribed by law, the judgments of: (A) Magistrates; (B) Municipal courts or councils; (C) Any inferior judicature; (D) Any person exercising judicial powers; and (E) Judges of the probate courts, except in cases touching the probate of wills and the granting of letters of administration, in which a jury must be impaneled; (5) To punish contempt by fines not exceeding $1,000.00, by imprisonment not exceeding 20 days, or both; and (6) To exercise such other powers, not contrary to the Constitution, as are or may be given to such courts by law.
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Superior Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Const. Art. VI, § V, Para. III | Jurisdiction of Court of Appeals; Decisions Binding |
The Court of Appeals shall be a court of review and shall exercise appellate and certiorari jurisdiction in all cases not reserved to the Supreme Court or conferred on other courts by law. The decisions of the Court of Appeals insofar as not in conflict with those of the Supreme Court shall bind all courts except the Supreme Court as precedents.
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Court of Appeals | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Const. Art. VI, § VI, Para. II | Exclusive Appellate Jurisdiction of Supreme Court |
The Supreme Court shall be a court of review and shall exercise exclusive appellate jurisdiction in the following cases: (1) All cases involving the construction of a treaty or of the Constitution of the State of Georgia or of the United States and all cases in which the constitutionality of a law, ordinance, or constitutional provision has been drawn in question; and (2) All cases of election contest.
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Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Const. Art. VI, § VI, Para. III | General appellate jurisdiction of Supreme Court |
Unless otherwise provided by law, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction of the following classes of cases:(1) Cases involving title to land; (2) All equity cases; (3) All cases involving wills; (4) All habeas corpus cases; (5) All cases involving extraordinary remedies; (6) All divorce and alimony cases; (7) All cases certified to it by the Court of Appeals; and (8) All cases in which a sentence of death was imposed or could be imposed. Review of all cases shall be as provided by law.
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Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Const. Art. VI, § VI, Para. IV | Jurisdiction Over Questions of Law From State Appellate or Federal District or Appellate Courts |
The Supreme Court shall have jurisdiction to answer any question of law from any state appellate or federal district or appellate court. |
Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Const. Art. VI, § I, Para. I | Judicial Power of the State |
The judicial power of the state shall be vested exclusively in the following classes of courts: magistrate courts, probate courts, juvenile courts, state courts, superior courts, state-wide business court, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court. Nothing in this paragraph shall preclude a superior court from creating a business court division for its circuit in a manner provided by law. Magistrate courts, probate courts, juvenile courts, and state courts shall be courts of limited jurisdiction. In addition, the General Assembly may establish or authorize the establishment of municipal courts and may authorize administrative agencies to exercise quasi-judicial powers. Municipal courts shall have jurisdiction over ordinance violations and such other jurisdiction as provided by law. Except as provided in this paragraph and in Section X, municipal courts, county recorder's courts and civil courts in existence on June 30, 1983, and administrative agencies shall not be subject to the provisions of this article. The General Assembly shall have the authority to confer "by law" jurisdiction upon municipal courts to try state offenses.
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Courts generally | Creation of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Code Ann. § 15-3-3 | Jurisdiction over Certain Crimes |
Pursuant to Article VI, Section V, Paragraph III of the Constitution of this state, the Court of Appeals shall have jurisdiction of the trial and correction of errors of law in cases involving the crimes of armed robbery, rape, and kidnapping wherein the death penalty has not been imposed.
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Courts of Appeals | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Code Ann. § 15-2-8 | Powers of Court Generally |
The Supreme Court has authority: (1) To exercise appellate jurisdiction, and in no appellate case to hear facts or examine witnesses; (2) To hear and determine all cases, civil and criminal, that may come before it; to grant judgments of affirmance or reversal, or any other order, direction, or decree required therein; and, if necessary, to make a final disposition of a case in the manner prescribed elsewhere in this Code; (3) To grant any writ necessary to carry out any purpose of its organization or to compel any inferior tribunal or officers thereof to obey its order; (4) To appoint its own officers and to commission any person to execute any specific order it may make; (5) To establish, amend, and alter its own rules of practice and to regulate the admission of attorneys to the practice of law; (6) To punish for contempt by the infliction of a fine as high as $500.00 or imprisonment not exceeding ten days, or both; and (7) To exercise such other powers, not contrary to the Constitution of this state, as given to it by law. This paragraph shall not be interpreted to abrogate the inherent power of the court.
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Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Code Ann. § 15-3-3.1 | Appellate Jurisdiction of Court of Appeals |
(a) Pursuant to Article VI, Section VI, Paragraph III of the Constitution of this state, the Court of Appeals rather than the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction in the following classes of cases: (1) Cases involving title to land; (2) All equity cases, except those cases concerning proceedings in which a sentence of death was imposed or could be imposed and those cases concerning the execution of a sentence of death; (3) All cases involving wills; (4) All cases involving extraordinary remedies, except those cases concerning proceedings in which a sentence of death was imposed or could be imposed and those cases concerning the execution of a sentence of death; (5) All divorce and alimony cases; and (6) All other cases not reserved to the Supreme Court or conferred on other courts; (b) This Code section shall not otherwise affect the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals.
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Courts of Appeals | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Georgia | Ga. Code Ann. § 15-5A-1 | Establishment |
There shall be a state-wide business court as provided for in Article VI of the Constitution of this state to be known as the Georgia State-wide Business Court. Nothing in this chapter shall preclude a superior court from creating or continuing an existing business court division for its circuit on or after May 7, 2019, or preclude a state court from creating or continuing an existing business court division on or after the May 7, 2019, in the manner provided by law.
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Other | Creation of the courts |