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Structure of Courts

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Below are all of the laws that govern the structure of courts that match your search criteria.

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	State	Statute	Description/Statute Name	Statutory language	Court/legal body	Function
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 more the 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.	Supreme Court	Creation of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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.	Court of Appeals	Creation of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 more court. 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.	Superior Court	Creation of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	730 Ill. Comp. Stat. 110/13	Duties of director of court services department or chief probation officer; facilities and personnel	It shall be the duty of the director of the court services department or the chief probation officer, appointed as provided in this act, to supervise and control the work + See more of all subordinate court services or probation officers under his or her jurisdiction subject to the general administrative and supervisory authority of the Chief Circuit Judge or another judge designated by the Chief Circuit Judge, and to control and supervise, as herein provided, the conduct of probationers to such extent as the court may direct. The Chief Circuit Judge, or another judge designated by the Chief Circuit Judge to have general administrative and supervisory authority over the director of the court services department or the chief probation officer, may authorize the director or chief probation officer to appoint all subordinate court services department officers or probation officers, who shall serve at the pleasure of the director or chief probation officer.	Circuit Courts	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	IL Const., Art. VI, § 9	Circuit Courts — Jurisdiction	Circuit Courts shall have original jurisdiction of all justiciable matters except when the Supreme Court has justiciable matters except when the Supreme Court has original and exclusive jurisdiction relating to + See more redistricting of the General Assembly and to the ability of the Governor to serve or resume office. Circuit Courts shall have such power to review administrative action as provided by law.	Circuit Courts	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	730 Ill. Comp. Stat. 167/5	Veterans and Servicemembers Court Treatment Act: Purposes	It is the intent of the General Assembly to create specialized veteran and service member courts or programs with the necessary flexibility to meet the specialized problems faced by these + See more veteran and service member defendants.	Veterans Courts	Creation of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	730 Ill. Comp. Stat. 168/5	Mental Health Court Treatment Act: Purposes	It is the intent of the General Assembly to create specialized mental health courts with the necessary flexibility to meet the problems of criminal defendants with mental illnesses and co-occurring + See more mental illness and substance abuse problems in the State of Illinois.	Mental Health Courts	Creation of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	730 Ill. Comp. Stat. 166/5	Drug Court Treatment Act: Purposes	The Chief Judge of each judicial circuit must establish a drug court program including the format under which it operates under this Act.	Drug Court	Creation of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	730 Ill. Comp. Stat. 166/5	Drug Court Treatment Act: Purposes	It is the intent of the General Assembly to create specialized drug courts with the necessary flexibility to meet the drug problems in the State of Illinois.	Drug Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	IL Const., Art. VI, § 4	Supreme Court — Jurisdiction	SECTION 4. SUPREME COURT - JURISDICTION (a) The Supreme Court may exercise original jurisdiction in cases relating to revenue, mandamus, prohibition or habeas corpus and as may be necessary to + See more the complete determination of any case on review. (b) Appeals from judgments of Circuit Courts imposing a sentence of death shall be directly to the Supreme Court as a matter of right. The Supreme Court shall provide by rule for direct appeal in other cases. (c) Appeals from the Appellate Court to the Supreme Court are a matter of right if a question under the Constitution of the United States or of this State arises for the first time in and as a result of the action of the Appellate Court, or if a division of the Appellate Court certifies that a case decided by it involves a question of such importance that the case should be decided by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court may provide by rule for appeals from the Appellate Court in other cases.	Supreme Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	IL Const., Art. VI, § 6	Appellate Court — Jurisdiction	SECTION 6. APPELLATE COURT - JURISDICTION Appeals from final judgments of a Circuit Court are a matter of right to the Appellate Court in the Judicial District in which the + See more Circuit Court is located except in cases appealable directly to the Supreme Court and except that after a trial on the merits in a criminal case, there shall be no appeal from a judgment of acquittal. The Supreme Court may provide by rule for appeals to the Appellate Court from other than final judgments of Circuit Courts. The Appellate Court may exercise original jurisdiction when necessary to the complete determination of any case on review. The Appellate Court shall have such powers of direct review of administrative action as provided by law.	Appellate Courts in 5 judicial districts	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	IL Const., Art. VI, § 7	Judicial Circuits	SECTION 7. JUDICIAL CIRCUITS (a) The State shall be divided into Judicial Circuits consisting of one or more counties. The First Judicial District shall constitute a Judicial Circuit. The Judicial Circuits + See more within the other Judicial Districts shall be as provided by law. Circuits composed of more than one county shall be compact and of contiguous counties. The General Assembly by law may provide for the division of a circuit for the purpose of selection of Circuit Judges and for the selection of Circuit Judges from the circuit at large. (b) Each Judicial Circuit shall have one Circuit Court with such number of Circuit Judges as provided by law. Unless otherwise provided by law, there shall be at least one Circuit Judge from each county. In the First Judicial District, unless otherwise provided by law, Cook County, Chicago, and the area outside Chicago shall be separate units for the selection of Circuit Judges, with at least twelve chosen at large from the area outside Chicago and at least thirty-six chosen at large from Chicago. (c) Circuit Judges in each circuit shall select by secret ballot a Chief Judge from their number to serve at their pleasure. Subject to the authority of the Supreme Court, the Chief Judge shall have general administrative authority over his court, including authority to provide for divisions, general or specialized, and for appropriate times and places of holding court.	Circuit Courts	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Illinois	IL Const. Art. VI, § 1	Courts	The judicial power is vested in a Supreme Court, an Appellate Court and Circuit Courts.	All state courts	Creation of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Kentucky	Ky. Const. § 111(2)	Ky. Const. § 111	The Court of Appeals shall have appellate jurisdiction only, except that it may be authorized by rules of the Supreme Court to review directly decisions of administrative agencies of the + See more Commonwealth, and it may issue all writs necessary in aid of its appellate jurisdiction, or the complete determination of any cause within its appellate jurisdiction. In all other cases, it shall exercise appellate jurisdiction as provided by law.	Court of Appeals	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Kentucky	Ky. Const. § 110	Ky. Const. § 110(2)	(2) (a) The Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction only, except it shall have the power to issue all writs necessary in aid of its appellate jurisdiction, or the complete determination + See more of any cause, or as may be required to exercise control of the Court of Justice. (b) Appeals from a judgment of the Circuit Court imposing a sentence of death or life imprisonment or imprisonment for twenty years or more shall be taken directly to the Supreme Court. In all other cases, criminal and civil, the Supreme Court shall exercise appellate jurisdiction as provided by its rules.	Supreme Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Kentucky	Ky. Const. § 112(1),(5)	Ky. Const. § 112	(1) Circuit Court shall be held in each county (5) The Circuit Court shall have original jurisdiction of all justiciable causes not vested in some other court. It shall have such appellate + See more jurisdiction as may be provided by law.	Circuit Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Kentucky	Ky. Const. § 113(1),(6)	Ky. Const. § 113	(1) District Court shall be held in each county. (6) The district court shall be a court of limited jurisdiction and shall exercise original jurisdiction as may be provided by the + See more General Assembly.	District Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Kentucky	Ky. Const. § 24A.110	District Court: Criminal jurisdiction	(1) The District Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to make final disposition of all criminal matters, including violations of county, urban-county, or city ordinances or codes, except: (a) Offenses denominated + See more by statute as felonies or capital offenses; and (b) Offenses punishable by death or imprisonment in the penitentiary. (2) The District Court has exclusive jurisdiction to make a final disposition of any charge or a public offense denominated as a misdemeanor or violation, except where the charge is joined with an indictment for a felony, and all violations of county, urban-county, or city ordinances and, prior to trial, to commit the defendant to jail or hold him to bail or other form of pretrial release. (3) The District Court has, concurrent with Circuit Court, jurisdiction to examine any charge of a public offense denominated as a felony or capital offense or which may be punished by death or imprisonment in the penitentiary and to commit the defendant to jail or hold him to bail or other form of pretrial release.	District Court	Jurisdiction of the courts

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