50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
Structure of Courts
Keyword search across all of the laws in the states. Subject-area tabs above allow you to narrow results. Click the advanced search for further refinement.
Every law can be saved to the Reform Builder
See conflicts of interest policy recommendations in CJPP’s Policy Guide
Function
Below are all of the laws that govern the structure of courts that match your search criteria.
29 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Court/legal body | Function | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | LA RS §13:101. | Supreme court jurisdiction | The state shall be divided into seven supreme court districts. The supreme court shall be composed of one justice elected from each of the seven districts as set forth below: | Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | LA RS §13:312. | Court of appeals circuits | There shall be five court of appeal circuits, which shall be subdivided into districts as follows: | Courts of Appeal | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | LA RS §13:477 | District Court | There shall be forty-one judicial districts in the state and each district shall be composed as follows: | District Courts | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | LA RS §13:1335 | Parish of Orleans District court | There shall be one criminal district court for the parish of Orleans, which shall be composed of twelve judges. | Criminal District Court for Orleans Parish | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | LA RS §13:1445 | Parish court - juvenile jurisdiction |
The parish court shall be a juvenile court for the parish and shall exercise jurisdiction, concurrent with that of the district court, over juvenile matters, except where a separate juvenile + See moreor family court with exclusive jurisdiction is established by law.
|
Juvenile Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | LA RS §13:446 | Parish court - criminal jurisdiction |
A. The parish court shall have criminal jurisdiction over all violations of state law and parish or municipal ordinances committed within its territorial jurisdiction which are punishable by a fine + See morenot exceeding one thousand dollars or by imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. This jurisdiction shall be concurrent with any jurisdiction conferred by law upon the district court.
B. As to all other violations of state law or of a parish or municipal ordinance, the parish court shall have the power to issue warrants of arrest, to examine, commit, admit to bail and discharge, and to hold preliminary examinations in all cases not capital.
|
Parish District Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | LA RS § 15:1097 | Youth court - territorial jurisdiction |
A. The Ware Youth Center Authority is hereby established as a political subdivision of the state, with a territorial jurisdiction throughout the parishes of Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, + See moreand Webster. If the governing authority of Claiborne Parish or the governing authority of Webster Parish elects to withdraw its respective parish from the district, the territorial jurisdiction of the district shall not include such parish or parishes.
|
Ware Youth Center (juvenile court) | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | La. Const. Art. 3 Sec. 1 | Judicial power | The judicial power is vested in a supreme court, courts of appeal, district courts, and other courts authorized by this Article. | Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | La. Const. Art. 3 Sec. 8 | Court of appeals circuits - panels |
Section 8.(A) Circuits; Panels. The state shall be divided into at least four circuits, with one court of appeal in each. Each court shall sit in panels of at least + See morethree judges selected according to rules adopted by the court.
|
Courts of Appeal (5) | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | La RS 13:1401 | Family court |
A. There is hereby established the family court for the parish of East Baton Rouge, which shall be a court of record with exclusive jurisdiction in the following proceedings:
(1) + See more All actions for divorce, annulment of marriages, claims for contributions made by one spouse to the education or training of the other spouse, establishment or disavowal of the paternity of children, spousal and child support and nonsupport, and custody and visitation of children, as well as of all matters incidental to any of the foregoing proceedings, including but not restricted to the issuance of conservatory writs for the protection of community property, the awarding of attorney fees in judgments of divorce, the accumulation of and rendering executory of spousal and child support, the issuance of writs of fieri facias and garnishment under judgments of the court for spousal and child support and attorney fees, jurisdiction of which was vested in the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for the parish of East Baton Rouge prior to the establishment of the family court for the parish of East Baton Rouge.
|
Family Court for East Baton Rouge | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
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 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
|
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 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
|
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 jurisdiction as may be provided by law.
|
Circuit Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
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 General Assembly.
|
District Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
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: 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 |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Kentucky | Ky. Const. § 23A.110 | Jurisdiction of Circuit Court; court of record and of continuous session |
(1) The Circuit Court is a court of general jurisdiction; it has original jurisdiction of all justiciable causes not exclusively vested in some other court. appellate jurisdiction as specified in this chapter.
|
Circuit Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Washington | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 2.04.010 | Jurisdiction |
The supreme court shall have original jurisdiction in habeas corpus and quo warrantor and mandamus as to all state officers, and appellate jurisdiction in all actions and proceedings excepting that its appellate jurisdiction shall not extend to civil actions at law for the recovery of money or personal property when the original amount in controversy or the value of the property does not exceed the sum of two hundred dollars, unless the action involves the legality of a tax, impost, assessment, toll, municipal fine, or the validity of a statute. The supreme court shall also have power to issue writs of mandamus, review, prohibition, habeas corpus, certiorari, and all other writs necessary and proper to the complete exercise of its appellate and revisory jurisdiction. Each of the judges shall have power to issue writs of habeas corpus to any part of the state, upon petition by or on behalf of any person held in actual custody, and may make such writs returnable before himself or herself, or before the supreme court, or before any superior court of the state, or any judge thereof.
|
Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Washington | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 2.06.030 | General powers and authority--Transfers of cases--Appellate jurisdiction, exceptions--Appeals |
Subject to the provisions of this section, the court shall have exclusive appellate jurisdiction in all cases except:(a) cases of quo warrantor, prohibition, injunction or mandamus directed to state officials; (b) criminal cases where the death penalty has been decreed; (c) cases where the validity of all or any portion of a statute, ordinance, tax, impost, assessment or toll is drawn into question on the grounds of repugnancy to the Constitution of the United States or of the state of Washington, or to a statute or treaty of the United States, and the superior court has held against its validity; (d) cases involving fundamental and urgent issues of broad public import requiring prompt and ultimate determination; and (e) cases involving substantive issues on which there is a direct conflict among prevailing decisions of panels of the court or between decisions of the supreme court;
|
Court of Appeals | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Washington | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 2.08.010 | Original jurisdiction |
The superior court shall have original jurisdiction in all cases in equity, and in all cases at law which involve the title or possession of real property, or the legality of any tax, impost, assessment, toll or municipal fine, and in all other cases in which the demand or the value of the property in controversy amounts to three hundred dollars, and in all criminal cases amounting to felony, and in all cases of misdemeanor not otherwise provided for by law; of actions of forcible entry and detainer; of proceedings in insolvency; of actions to prevent or abate a nuisance; of all matters of probate, of divorce and for annulment of marriage, and for such special cases and proceedings as are not otherwise provided for; and shall also have original jurisdiction in all cases and of all proceedings in which jurisdiction shall not have been by law vested exclusively in some other court, and shall have the power of naturalization and to issue papers therefor. Said courts and their judges shall have power to issue writs of mandamus, quo warrantor, review, certiorari, prohibition and writs of habeas corpus on petition by or on behalf of any person in actual custody in their respective counties. Injunctions and writs of prohibition and of habeas corpus may be issued on legal holidays and nonjudicial days.
|
Superior Courts | Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Washington | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 2.08.020 | Appellate jurisdiction |
The superior courts shall have such appellate jurisdiction in cases arising in courts of limited jurisdiction in their respective counties as may be prescribed by law. |
Superior Courts appellate jurisdiction | Jurisdiction of the courts |