State Judicial Hierarchy

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State Judicial Hierarchy

• State Judicial
• Hierarchy

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State Judicial Hierarchy
Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (Recorders Court)
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Court of Limited Jurisdiction

• Lower courts that handle specific matters that
  may be more related to administrative functions
• Traffic courts
• Municipal courts (night courts)
• Juvenile courts
• Probate courts
• Small-claims courts
• Columbus Recorders Court

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State Judicial Hierarchy
Courts of General Jurisdiction (State and
Superior Courts)
Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (Recorders Court)
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State Courts of General Jurisdiction

• Authority to decide questions of both state and
  federal law in the courts of litigation and not
  limited to a restricted list of delegated
  authority.
• State Court
• Superior Court

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Intermediate Appellate Court
State Judicial Hierarchy
Courts of General Jurisdiction (State and
Superior Courts)
Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (Recorders Court)
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Intermediate Appellate Courts

• Courts that do not conduct fact-finding
  procedures as trial courts do.
• They consider only questions of law in dispute
  and exercise review over trial courts performing
  the functions of error correction and law
  development.
• Sit in three-judge (at least) panels for purposes
  of hearing and deciding appeals.

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State Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
State Judicial Hierarchy
Courts of General Jurisdiction
Courts of General Jurisdiction (State and
Superior Courts)
Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (Recorders Court)
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State Supreme Court

• Court of last resort
• Most state supreme courts have 7 judges, but
  there is a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 9
  judges.
• All judges sit together so that the court
  functions as a unit when hearing and deciding
  appeals

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State Supreme Court

• Perform functions related to the general
  oversight of the administration of justice to
  their respective states
• Opinions of the appellate courts are given
  greater weight than trial court opinions.

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U.S. Supreme Court
District Appeals from State Courts in 50 States
State Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
State Judicial Hierarchy
Courts of General Jurisdiction (State and
Superior Courts)
Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (Recorders Court)
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U.S. Supreme Court

• The court of last resort for all cases
• All cases must involve a controlling federal
  question issue and require approval of at least
  four Supreme Court justices before the writ of
  certiorari will be granted.

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Writ of certiorari

• An order by the Supreme Court to have the
  lower-court records sent to the higher court for
  review.