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.
30 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Court/legal body | Function | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | La. Const. Art. 3 Sec. 9 | District courts - elected judges |
Section 9. Each circuit shall be divided into at least three districts, and at least one judge shall be elected from each. The circuits and districts and the number of + See morejudges as elected in each circuit on the effective date of this constitution are retained, subject to change by law enacted by two-thirds of the elected members of each house of the legislature.
|
District Courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Louisiana | La. Const. Ann. art. V, § 20 | Justice of the Peace/Mayor's Court - subject to change by law | Mayors' courts and justice of the peace courts existing on the effective date of this constitution are continued, subject to change by law. | Justice of the Peace Courts/Mayor's Courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Arkansas | Ark. Const. Amend. 80, § 5 | Court of Appeals |
There shall be a Court of Appeals which may have divisions thereof as established by Supreme Court rule. The Court of Appeals shall have such appellate jurisdiction as the Supreme Court shall by rule determine and shall be subject to the general superintending control of the Supreme Court. Judges of the Court of Appeals shall have the same qualifications as Justices of the Supreme Court.
|
Court of Appeals | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Arkansas | Ark. Const. Amend. 80, § 6 | Circuit Courts |
(A) Circuit Courts are established as the trial courts of original jurisdiction of all justiciable matters not otherwise assigned pursuant to this Constitution.(B) Subject to the superintending control of the Supreme Court, the Judges of a Circuit Court may divide that Circuit Court into subject matter divisions, and any Circuit Judge within the Circuit may sit in any division. (C) Circuit Judges may temporarily exchange circuits by joint order. Any Circuit Judge who consents may be assigned to another circuit for temporary service under rules adopted by the Supreme Court. (D) The Circuit Courts shall hold their sessions in each county at such times and places as are, or may be, prescribed by law.
|
Circuit Court | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Arkansas | Ark. Code Ann. § 16-98-303(a)(1)-(3) | Drug Courts Program Authorized |
(a)(1) Each judicial district of this state is authorized to establish a drug court program under this subchapter.(2) A drug court established under this subchapter shall be approved under § 16-10-139.(3)(A) A drug court program may be preadjudication or postadjudication for an adult offender or a juvenile offender.
|
Drug Courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
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 veteran and service member defendants.
|
Veterans Courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
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 mental illness and substance abuse problems in the State of Illinois.
|
Mental Health Courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
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
|
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
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 § 421 | Establishment |
The Judicial Department may establish alcohol and drug treatment programs in the Superior Courts and District Courts and may adopt administrative orders and court rules to govern the practice, procedure and administration of these programs. Alcohol and drug treatment programs must include local judges and must be community based and operated separately from juvenile drug courts.
|
Alcohol and drug treatment court | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 § 431 | Mental health treatment courts |
The Judicial Department may seek and receive grants to establish mental health treatment courts. |
Mental health treatment courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 § 433(2) | Veterans treatment courts |
Chief Justice may establish. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court may establish veterans treatment courts for veterans and members of the United States Armed Forces. The Supreme Judicial Court may adopt administrative orders and court rules of practice and procedure as necessary.
|
Veterans treatment courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Oregon | Or. Rev. Stat. § 1.001 | Supreme Court creation |
The Legislative Assembly hereby declares that, as a matter of statewide concern, it is in the best interests of the people of this state that the judicial branch of state + See moregovernment, including the appellate, tax and circuit courts, be funded and operated at the state level. The Legislative Assembly finds that state funding and operation of the judicial branch can provide for best statewide allocation of governmental resources according to the actual needs of the people and of the judicial branch by establishing an accountable, equitably funded and uniformly administered system of justice for all the people of this state
|
Supreme Court | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Oregon | Or. Rev. Stat. § 2.510 | Court of Appeals creation | As part of the judicial branch of state government, there is created a court of justice to be known as the Court of Appeals. | Court of Appeals | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Oregon | Or. Rev. Stat. § 305.405 | Oregon Tax Court; creation; jurisdiction |
As part of the judicial branch of state government, there is created a court of justice to be known as the Oregon Tax Court. The tax court, in cases within its jurisdiction pursuant to ORS 305.410 (Authority of court in tax cases within its jurisdiction):(1) Is a court of record and of general jurisdiction, not limited, special or inferior jurisdiction. (2) Has the same powers as a circuit court. (3) Has and may exercise all ordinary and extraordinary legal, equitable and provisional remedies available in the circuit courts, as well as such additional remedies as may be assigned to it.
|
Tax Court | Creation of the courts, Jurisdiction of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Tennessee | TN Const. Art. 6, § 1 | Enumeration of Courts |
"The judicial power of this State shall be vested in one Supreme Court and in such Circuit, Chancery and other inferior Courts as the Legislature shall from time to time, + See moreordain and establish; in the Judges thereof, and in Justices of the Peace. The Legislature may also vest such jurisdiction in Corporation Courts as may be deemed necessary. Courts to be holden by Justices of the Peace may also be established."
|
All Courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-1-101 | Vesting |
"The judicial power of the state is vested in judges of the courts of general sessions, recorders of certain towns and cities, circuit courts, criminal courts, common law and chancery + See morecourts, chancery courts, courts of appeals, and the supreme court, and other courts created by law."
|
All Courts | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-15-101 | Creation |
"(a) There is created and established a court in and for each county of the state, except in counties having a population of not less than nine thousand one hundred + See moreseventy-five (9,175) nor more than nine thousand two hundred (9,200), according to the last federal census or any subsequent federal census, which shall be designated as the court of general sessions.(b) It is the intent of this section to create a general sessions court in every county not expressly excepted in this section. In any county where a general sessions court has been created pursuant to the general provisions of this chapter, it is intended that the county shall always have a general sessions court unless abolished by another general statute. In counties in which there is no court of general sessions as provided in this section, references in this code to the court of general sessions are deemed to include the court having the jurisdiction of the court of general sessions in such counties."
|
Court of General Sessions | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. § 16-18-101 | Authorization |
"In any municipality in this state having a mayor's court or a municipal court presided over by the mayor of the municipality or the city recorder of the municipality and + See morehaving no other provision for a municipal judge for the municipality, the governing body of the municipality is authorized by ordinance to provide for the office of municipal judge."
|
Municipal Court | Creation of the courts |
|
Add to Dashboard
|
Texas | Tex. Const. Art. 5 Sec. 1 | Judicial power; courts in which vested |
The judicial power of this State shall be vested in one Supreme Court, in one Court of Criminal Appeals, in Courts of Appeals, in District Courts, in County Courts, in Commissioners Courts, in Courts of Justices of the Peace, and in such other courts as may be provided by law.
The Legislature may establish such other courts as it may deem necessary and prescribe the jurisdiction and organization thereof, and may conform the jurisdiction of the district and other inferior courts thereto. |
State courts | Creation of the courts |