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Below are all of the laws that govern the structure of courts that match your search criteria.
51 Results
State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Court/legal body | Function | |
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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.
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District Courts | Creation of the courts |
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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 |
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Connecticut | Conn. Const., art. V, § 1 | Creation of lower courts |
The judicial power of the state shall be vested in a supreme court, a superior court, and such lower courts as the general assembly shall, from time to time, ordain + See moreand establish. The powers and jurisdiction of these courts shall be defined by law.
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Lower courts | Creation of the courts |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §29.0081(1) | County funding of additional court personnel |
A county and the chief judge of a judicial circuit that includes that county may enter into an agreement under which the county funds personnel positions to assist in the operation of the circuit.
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County courts | Creation of the courts |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §29.008(2) | County funding of court-related functions |
Counties shall pay reasonable and necessary salaries, costs, and expenses of the state courts system, including associated staff and expenses, to meet local requirements. |
County courts | Creation of the courts |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §29.008(1) | County funding of court-related functions |
Counties are required by s. 14, Art. V of the State Constitution to fund the cost of communications services, existing radio systems, existing multiagency criminal justice information systems, and the cost of construction or lease, maintenance, utilities, and security of facilities for the circuit and county courts, public defenders offices, state attorneys offices, guardian ad litem offices, and the offices of the clerks of the circuit and county courts performing court-related functions. For purposes of this section, the term circuit and county courts includes the offices and staffing of the guardian ad litem programs, and the term public defenders offices includes the offices of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel. The county designated under s. 35.05(1) as the headquarters for each appellate district shall fund these costs for the appellate division of the public defender's office in that county.
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County courts | Creation of the courts |
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Florida | Fla. Stat. §29.001 | State courts system elements and definitions |
(1) For the purpose of implementing s. 14, Art. V of the State Constitution, the state courts system is defined to include the enumerated elements of the Supreme Court, district courts of appeal, circuit courts, county courts, and certain supports thereto. The offices of public defenders and state attorneys are defined to include the enumerated elements of the 20 state attorneys’ offices and the enumerated elements of the 20 public defenders’ offices and five offices of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel. Court-appointed counsel are defined to include the enumerated elements for counsel appointed to ensure due process in criminal and civil proceedings in accordance with state and federal constitutional guarantees. Funding for the state courts system, the state attorneys’ offices, the public defenders’ offices, the offices of criminal conflict and civil regional counsel, and other court-appointed counsel shall be provided from state revenues appropriated by general law.
(2) Although a program or function currently may be funded by the state or prescribed or established in general law, this does not designate the program or function as an element of the state courts system, state attorneys’ offices, public defenders’ offices, or the offices of the circuit and county court clerks performing court-related functions as described in s. 14, Art. V of the State Constitution. |
State courts | Creation of the courts |
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Florida | Fla. Const. Art. V, Sec. 14 | Funding |
(a) All justices and judges shall be compensated only by state salaries fixed by general law. Funding for the state courts system, state attorneys offices, public defenders offices, and court-appointed counsel, except as otherwise provided in subsection (c), shall be provided from state revenues appropriated by general law.
(b) All funding for the offices of the clerks of the circuit and county courts performing court-related functions, except as otherwise provided in this subsection and subsection (c), shall be provided by adequate and appropriate filing fees for judicial proceedings and service charges and costs for performing court-related functions as required by general law. Selected salaries, costs, and expenses of the state courts system may be funded from appropriate filing fees for judicial proceedings and service charges and costs for performing court-related functions, as provided by general law. Where the requirements of either the United States Constitution or the Constitution of the State of Florida preclude the imposition of filing fees for judicial proceedings and service charges and costs for performing court-related functions sufficient to fund the court-related functions of the offices of the clerks of the circuit and county courts, the state shall provide, as determined by the legislature, adequate and appropriate supplemental funding from state revenues appropriated by general law. (c) No county or municipality, except as provided in this subsection, shall be required to provide any funding for the state courts system, state attorneys offices, public defenders offices, court-appointed counsel or the offices of the clerks of the circuit and county courts performing court-related functions. Counties shall be required to fund the cost of communications services, existing radio systems, existing multi-agency criminal justice information systems, and the cost of construction or lease, maintenance, utilities, and security of facilities for the trial courts, public defenders offices, state attorneys offices, and the offices of the clerks of the circuit and county courts performing court-related functions. Counties shall also pay reasonable and necessary salaries, costs, and expenses of the state courts system to meet local requirements as determined by general law. (d) The judiciary shall have no power to fix appropriations. |
All court | Creation of the courts |
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Florida | Fla. Const. Art. V, Sec. 1 | Courts |
The judicial power shall be vested in a supreme court, district courts of appeal, circuit courts and county courts. No other courts may be established by the state, any political subdivision or any municipality.
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All court | Creation of the courts |
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Florida | Fla. Const. Art. V, Sec. 16 | Clerks of the circuit courts |
There shall be in each county a clerk of the circuit court who shall be selected pursuant to the provisions of Article VIII section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of the constitution, the duties of the clerk of the circuit court may be divided by special or general law between two officers, one serving as clerk of court and one serving as ex officio clerk of the board of county commissioners, auditor, recorder, and custodian of all county funds. There may be a clerk of the county court if authorized by general or special law.
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Circuit courts | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | JUDICIAL POWER | HI Const. Art. 6, § 1 |
The judicial power of the State shall be vested in one supreme court, one intermediate appellate court, circuit courts, district courts and in such other courts as the legislature may from time to time establish. The several courts shall have original and appellate jurisdiction as provided by law and shall establish time limits for disposition of cases in accordance with their rules.
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Supreme Court | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | HI Const. Art. 6, § 1 | JUDICIAL POWER |
The judicial power of the State shall be vested in one supreme court, one intermediate appellate court, circuit courts, district courts and in such other courts as the legislature may from time to time establish. The several courts shall have original and appellate jurisdiction as provided by law and shall establish time limits for disposition of cases in accordance with their rules.
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Intermediate Appellate Court | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | HI Const. Art. 6, § 1 | JUDICIAL POWER |
The judicial power of the State shall be vested in one supreme court, one intermediate appellate court, circuit courts, district courts and in such other courts as the legislature may from time to time establish. The several courts shall have original and appellate jurisdiction as provided by law and shall establish time limits for disposition of cases in accordance with their rules.
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Circuit courts | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | HI Const. Art. 6, § 1 | JUDICIAL POWER |
The judicial power of the State shall be vested in one supreme court, one intermediate appellate court, circuit courts, district courts and in such other courts as the legislature may from time to time establish. The several courts shall have original and appellate jurisdiction as provided by law and shall establish time limits for disposition of cases in accordance with their rules.
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District courts | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. 602-1 | Supreme Court: How constituted |
The supreme court, pursuant to section 2 of Article VI of the Constitution, shall consist of a chief justice and four associate justices. |
Supreme Court | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. 602-51 | Intermediate Appellate Court: How constituted |
The intermediate appellate court shall consist of a chief judge and five associate judges. The chief judge, who shall be specifically selected, shall supervise the administrative duties of the court. |
Appellate Court | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. 603-1 | Judicial circuits |
The State is divided into four judicial circuits, as follows: (1) The first judicial circuit is the island of Oahu and all other islands belonging to the State not hereinafter mentioned; (2) The second judicial circuit includes the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Molokini; (3) The third judicial circuit is the island of Hawaii; (4) The fifth judicial circuit includes the islands of Kauai and Niihau.
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Circuit courts | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. 604-1 | Judicial circuits; district judges; sessions |
There shall be established in each of the judicial circuits of the State a district court with the powers and under the conditions herein set forth, which shall be styled as follows: (1) For the First Judicial Circuit: The District Court of the First Circuit. (2) For the Second Judicial Circuit: The District Court of the Second Circuit. (3) For the Third Judicial Circuit: The District Court of the Third Circuit. (4) For the Fifth Judicial Circuit: The District Court of the Fifth Circuit. There shall be appointed one or more district judges for each judicial circuit. The district court of the first circuit shall consist of fourteen judges, who shall be styled as first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth judge, respectively. One of the district judges shall hear landlord-tenant and small claims matters, provided that when in the discretion of the chief justice of the supreme court the urgency or volume of cases so requires, the chief justice may authorize the judge to substitute for or act in addition to or otherwise in place of any other district judge of the district court of the first circuit. The district court of the second circuit shall consist of three judges, who shall be styled as first, second, and third judge, respectively. The district court of the third circuit shall consist of three judges, who shall be styled as first, second, and third judge, respectively. The district court of the fifth circuit shall consist of two judges who shall be styled as first and second judge, respectively. The chief justice may designate a judge in each circuit as the administrative judge for the circuit. The district courts shall hold sessions at such places in their respective circuits and as often as the respective district judges deem essential to the promotion of justice.
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District courts | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 613-2 | Establishment of the center for alternative dispute resolution |
(a) There is established within the judiciary the center for alternative dispute resolution. The center shall facilitate the effective, timely, and voluntary resolution of disputes. Through these resolutions, it shall help reduce public and private costs of litigation and increase satisfaction with the justice system. The center shall accomplish its purposes by:(1) Providing, where feasible and agreed to by the parties, the consultative resources and technical assistance needed to achieve voluntary resolutions for cases that affect the public interest or the work of state and county agencies. These cases shall include but not be limited to: (A) Public disputes involving actual or threatened court actions over the allocation or management of public resources or the siting of public facilities; (B) Complex litigation cases in which a court or a regulatory or administrative agency has determined that the dispute involves multiple parties or formidable technical, procedural, or factual issues, or both; (C) Policy roundtables in which the center, at the request of an executive, legislative, or judicial decisionmaker, convenes and chairs advisory discussions on matters pertaining to standards or rules; and (D) Other cases directly referred by judges, legislators, agency heads, or appointed government officials; (2) Promoting in a systematic manner the appropriate use of alternative dispute resolution; and (3) Disseminating to government agencies and to the community at large up-to-date information on the methods and applications of alternative dispute resolution.
(b) The center shall be organized, guided, and administratively maintained by the chief justice or the chief justice's designee. The chief justice shall appoint a director of the center. The director may hire staff necessary to accomplish the purposes of this chapter, including but not limited to an assistant director and a program specialist. The director, assistant director, and program specialist shall have substantial experience, training, and education in the methodologies of alternative dispute resolution. Employees of the center shall be exempt from chapter 76, shall not be considered civil service employees, but shall be entitled to any employee benefit plan normally inuring to civil service employees. |
Center for alternative dispute resolution | Creation of the courts |
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Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. 604A-1 | Environmental Courts; establishment |
(a) The environmental courts shall be created as divisions of the circuit courts and district courts of the State and shall not be deemed to be other courts as that term is used in the state constitution. An environmental court shall be held at the courthouse in each circuit, or other duly designated place, by the judge or judges of the respective environmental courts.
(b) The chief justice of the supreme court shall designate an environmental judge or judges for each circuit and for a district court in each circuit, as may be necessary; provided that if the volume of environmental cases in the circuit or district in which an environmental judge presides is not adequate to provide an environmental court judge with a full time docket, the judge may hear cases arising from other areas of law. In any circuit that has more than one judge designated for the environmental court, the chief justice shall designate one of the judges as senior judge. The chief justice may temporarily assign an environmental court judge to preside in another circuit when the chief justice determines that the urgency of one or more cases in the circuit court or district court or the volume of the cases in the circuit court or district court so requires. |
Environmental courts | Creation of the courts |