State Courts

State Courts are judicial bodies created under the constitutions and laws of the individual states, empowered to adjudicate disputes arising under state law, state constitutions, and matters not exclusively reserved to federal jurisdiction. They form the broadest and most frequently accessed component of the American judicial system, resolving the overwhelming majority of civil and criminal cases nationwide. State courts exercise general jurisdiction, meaning they may hear nearly all categories of legal disputes, including criminal prosecutions, contract claims, tort actions, family law matters, probate proceedings, and property disputes, unless federal law specifically requires a case to be heard in federal court. Each state structures its own court system, but most follow a three-tier hierarchy: a court of last resort (often titled a Supreme Court), intermediate appellate courts (sometimes called Courts of Appeal), and trial courts, which may be courts of general jurisdiction (such as Superior, District, or Circuit Courts) or courts of limited jurisdiction (such as small claims, municipal, probate, family, or juvenile courts). The authority of state courts is grounded in the principle of state sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment, and their judgments are final as to state law, subject only to review by the U.S. Supreme Court on questions of federal law or constitutional interpretation. Collectively, state courts operate as the primary guardians of justice for most citizens, applying both statutory and common law within their jurisdictions, while coexisting with the federal judiciary in a system of concurrent and complementary authority.