Data Explorer: Institutional Structure of Courts | 50 State Criminal Justice Debt Tool

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	Michigan	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 10	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 10	The jurisdiction of the court of appeals shall be provided by law and the practice and procedure therein shall be prescribed by rules of the supreme court.	Court of appeals	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Michigan	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 13	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 13	The circuit court shall have original jurisdiction in all matters not prohibited by law; appellate jurisdiction from all inferior courts and tribunals except as otherwise provided by law; power to + See more issue, hear and determine prerogative and remedial writs; supervisory and general control over inferior courts and tribunals within their respective jurisdictions in accordance with rules of the supreme court; and jurisdiction of other cases and matters as provided by rules of the supreme court.	Circuit Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Michigan	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 15	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 15	In each county organized for judicial purposes there shall be a probate court. The legislature may create or alter probate court districts of more than one county if approved in + See more each affected county by a majority of the electors voting on the question. The legislature may provide for the combination of the office of probate judge with any judicial office of limited jurisdiction within a county with supplemental salary as provided by law. The jurisdiction, powers and duties of the probate court and of the judges thereof shall be provided by law. They shall have original jurisdiction in all cases of juvenile delinquents and dependents, except as otherwise provided by law.	Probate court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Michigan	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 1	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 1	The judicial power of the state is vested exclusively in one court of justice which shall be divided into one supreme court, one court of appeals, one trial court of + See more general jurisdiction known as the circuit court, one probate court, and courts of limited jurisdiction . . .	Judicial power	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Michigan	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 1	Michigan State Constitution Article VI Sec. 1	The judicial power of the state is vested exclusively in one court of justice which shall be divided into one supreme court . . . and courts of limited jurisdiction + See more that the legislature may establish by a two-thirds vote of the members elected to and serving in each house.	Limited jurisdiction court	Creation of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Oregon	Or. Rev. Stat. § 1.002	Supreme Court jurisdiction	The Supreme Court is the highest judicial tribunal of the judicial department of government in this state. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the presiding judge of the + See more court and the administrative head of the judicial department of government in this state.	Supreme Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Oregon	Or. Rev. Stat. § 2.516	Court of Appeals jurisdiction	Except where original jurisdiction is conferred on the Supreme Court by the Oregon Constitution or by statute and except as provided in ORS 19.405 (Certification of appeal to Supreme Court) + See more and 138.255 (Court of Appeals certification of appeal to Supreme Court in lieu of disposition), the Court of Appeals shall have exclusive jurisdiction of all appeals.	Court of Appeals	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Oregon	Or. Rev. Stat. § 3.012	Circuit Courts jurisdiction	The judicial districts, the counties constituting the judicial districts and the number of circuit court judges for each judicial district are as follows:…	Circuit Courts (36)	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Oregon	Or. Rev. Stat. § 3.255(2)	Family Court jurisdiction	The judges of the circuit court need adequate court services to assist them in exercising jurisdiction over the family and family-related matters	Family Court (part of circuit courts)	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Oregon	Or. Rev. Stat. § 3.260	Juvenille Court jurisdiction	The circuit courts and the judges thereof shall exercise all juvenile court jurisdiction, authority, powers, functions and duties.	Juvenille Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	Oregon	Or. Rev. Stat. § 5.010	County Court jurisdiction	The county court is held by the county judge, except when county business is being transacted therein.	County Court	Jurisdiction of the courts
Add to Dashboard + Create New	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 more government, 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 + Create New	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 + Create New	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 + See more 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 + Create New	West Virginia	W. Va. Const. art. VIII, § 2	Supreme court of appeals	The supreme court of appeals shall consist of five justices. A majority of the justices of the court shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The justices shall be + See more elected by the voters of the State for a term of twelve years, unless sooner removed or retired as authorized in this article. The legislature may prescribe by law whether the election of such justices is to be on a partisan or nonpartisan basis. Provision shall be made by rules of the supreme court of appeals for the selection of a member of the court to serve as chief justice thereof. If the chief justice is temporarily disqualified or unable to serve, one of the justices of the court designated in accordance with the rules of the court shall serve temporarily in his stead. When any justice is temporarily disqualified or unable to serve, the chief justice may assign a judge of a circuit court or of an intermediate appellate court to serve from time to time in his stead.	Supreme court of appeals	Creation of the courts

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