What Is the Purpose of a County Court?
County courts--or higher-level courts--operate in a fairly standard state judicial structure. These courts function as a "middle ground" between minor and appellate courts, handling several case types in different states.
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Definition
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Each state has a higher-level trial court in its system. Some states call these county courts, while others refer to them as superior, district or circuit courts, court of common pleas or court of chancery.
Structure
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In every state, there are lower-level, higher-level and appellate courts. For example, Arizona's lower courts are municipal and justice of the peace courts, higher courts are superior and tax, with supreme and court of appeals serving as appellate.
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Function and Number
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Higher-level trial courts function as an intermediary between lower and appellate courts, and can be quite numerous. In Texas, there are 934 higher-level county and district courts.
Case Types
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Lower-level courts handle minor matters such as traffic infractions or misdemeanors, while higher-level courts handle all other matters, including certain appeals. Appellate courts only handle appeals or direct questions from federal courts.
Court Types in All States
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According to the Court Statistic Project State Court website, as of 2009 the higher level courts for all states are as follows:
Court Type and Number of States
Superior only--6
District only--12
Circuit only--7
District and County--4
District and Superior--7
District and Circuit--8
Circuit and County--1
District, Circuit and County--1
Superior, Circuit and County--1
Other--3
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