state courts
Non-federal judicial bodies
State courts are judicial systems operated by individual U.S. states, as distinct from federal courts.
They handle the vast majority of legal matters—criminal cases, family law, contracts, personal injury, and most civil disputes.
Each state maintains its own court hierarchy, typically from trial courts through appellate courts to a state supreme court.
The case was filed in state court rather than federal court.
- judgesLegal proceeding overseers
- bench trialCourt case, judge only
- hearingsOfficial evidence-gathering sessions
- appellate courtsTribunals reviewing lower rulings
- supreme courtsHighest appellate judicial bodies
trials · appeals · municipal courts · public defenders · legal aid · district courts · sentencing · jury selection · attorneys · criminal cases · plea bargain · traffic violations · speeding ticket · circuit courts · small claims · civil suits · family courts · prosecutor
- criminal justicearrest, jail, prison, crime, guilty
- governmentgovernment, ministries, legislature, judiciary, executive branch
- lawlaw, lawyer, lawyers, attorney, attorneys
- courtsdistrict courts, federal courts, circuit courts, municipal courts, trial courts
- legal systemsconstitutional law, judiciary, criminal code, penal code, laws
- US Lawattorney, lawyer, lawsuit, jury, felony
state courtsfederal courts
Judiciary handling nationwide cases
federal judiciary · federal court system · Supreme Court · military tribunals · international courts