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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.
134 Results
| State | Statute | Description/Statute Name | Statutory language | Court/legal body | Function | |
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Florida | Fla. Const. Art. V, Sec. 7 | Specialized divisions |
All courts except the supreme court may sit in divisions as may be established by general law. A circuit or county court may hold civil and criminal trials and hearings in any place within the territorial jurisdiction of the court as designated by the chief judge of the circuit.
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Trial (Circuit and County) courts | Jurisdiction 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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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 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.
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Circuit Courts | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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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 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.
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Circuit Courts | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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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.
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Veterans Courts | Creation of the courts |
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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.
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Mental Health Courts | Creation of the courts |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 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.
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Supreme Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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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 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.
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Appellate Courts in 5 judicial districts | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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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 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 |
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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 |
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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.
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Court of Appeals | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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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 |
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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.
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Circuit Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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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.
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District Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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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 |
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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.
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Circuit Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 § 7 | General jurisdiction; control of records |
The Supreme Judicial Court may exercise its jurisdiction according to the common law not inconsistent with the Constitution or any statute, and may punish contempts against its authority by fine and imprisonment, or either, and administer oaths. It has general superintendence of all inferior courts for the prevention and correction of errors and abuses where the law does not expressly provide a remedy and has control of all records and documents in the custody of its clerks. Whenever justice or the public good requires, it may order the expunging from the records and papers on file in any case which has gone to judgment of any name or other part thereof unnecessary to the purpose and effect of said judgment. It may issue all writs and processes, not within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Superior Court, necessary for the furtherance of justice or the execution of the laws in the name of the State under the seal of said court, attested by any justice not a party or interested in the suit and signed by the clerk.
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Supreme Judicial Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |
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Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. tit 4 § 114 | Authority of court |
The Superior Court may administer all necessary oaths, render judgment and issue execution, punish for contempt and compel attendance; and the provisions of law relative to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Judicial Court in each of said counties over parties, the arrest of persons, attachment of property, the time and mode of service of precepts, proceedings in court, the taxation of costs, the rendition of judgments, the issuing, service and return of executions and all other subjects apply to the Superior Court in all respects, except so far as they are modified by law, and the Superior Court is clothed with all the powers necessary for the performance of all its duties.
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Superior Court | Jurisdiction of the courts |