Court systems between states can vary significantly while maintaining the same general functions. Georgia state court structure is set up to handle a large number of proceedings. To understand how the system is able to accommodate the numerous counties and the growing population we must consider the types of courts that are in place, the process of putting judges into place, and how the jury is chosen to facilitate the courts.
Civil courts handle jury trials in civil matters. There is a jurisdictional limit of $25,000 placed on civil courts. There are two courts of this type in the state and they are located in Bibb County and Richmond County. Appeals from civil courts are made directly to the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Municipal courts have limited jurisdiction over violations of city ordinances, the issuance of criminal warrants, and traffic violations within city limits. Municipal courts also conduct preliminary hearings. There are 370 municipal courts that are funded by the city or town in which they preside. 350 judges oversee the courts and they are either appointed or elected.
Each of the 159 counties in the state of Georgia has a magistrate court. Funded by the county, magistrate court has limited jurisdiction over civil matters such as county ordinance violations, check fraud, landlord/tenant disputes, and eviction proceedings. Criminal matters in which magistrate courts have jurisdiction include certain minor offenses, holding preliminary hearings, issuing warrants to law enforcement officials and in some cases setting bail for defendants. There are 159 Chief Magistrates that are either elected or appointed depending on the county. An additional 354 Magistrates that have been appointed by the Chief Magistrate serve...
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... diploma, and must be a county resident for at least one year. Position of magistrate is gained either through appointment or partisan countywide election. State court judges are elected through nonpartisan countywide elections and must be a county resident. They must be at least 25 years of age, have 7 years experience practicing law, and be a state resident for a minimum of 3 years. Superior Court judges are required to have 7 years experience practicing law, be a circuit resident, be a state resident for a minimum of 3 years, and be no younger than 30. Superior court judges are elected in nonpartisan countywide elections.
Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges are elected in nonpartisan statewide elections. Mid-term vacancices are filled by appointment. State law requires that nominees are state residents and have practiced law for a minimum of seven years.
No, the drive towards court unification could eventually lead to a monolithic court system because the would give the federal court system too much control and besides, state legislative would make the better decision when it comes to the needs and local affairs. This would not be an effective solution because the system is too complex. The state legislature is better fit to make right decision about local affairs.
However, this is not the only option. Being appointed without the possibility of renewal, such as an 18-year term limit, would accomplish the same goal. In both situations, the judges would not have to seek reappointment, run for office, or worry about their political popularity.
The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in the United States. Since its creation in 1789, 112 justices have served on the Court. Of these 112 justices, four of them are women. President Ronald Reagan appointed the first female justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, in 1981; she served for 25 years. Sandra Day O’Connor changed the face of women in politics.
In the Texas court system, judges are elected instead of appointed like in the federal government. In the federal government, the president appoints members to the Supreme Court. This appointment then heads to Senate where the members of Senate will take a vote
Whether a judge should be elected or appointed has been a topic for discussion since the creation of a judicial system. Depending on what side of the decision one may be on, there are some challenges that arise from each side. If a judge is elected, will he be judicious in his decision based on the law or based on his constituents? If the judge is appointed, will he be subject to the authority that appointed him, thereby slanting his decision to keep favor of the executive or legislator that appointed him? Mandatory retirement is also a question that brings about challenges. How old is too old? When does a judge become ineffective based on their age?
Presently the supreme court has nine members, which include one Chief Justice and eight associate Justices. The Chief Justice Appoints each associate Justice to oversee one or more various circuits. Every year the Supreme Court has a term in which it revues selected cases. This term starts on the first Monday of October and ends either in the end of June or the beginning of July. During this term the Justices review one-hundred out of 6,000 or so cases with no clear guidelines on which ones they must look at.
Judiciary.gov.uk. 2014. Judges, Tribunals and Magistrates | Introduction to the justice system | Traditions of the courts. [online] Available at: http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/introduction-to-justice-system/court-traditions [Accessed: 2 Apr 2014].
The US court system consists of a trial court, an appellate court, and a supreme or high court. The trial court is the first to hear the facts of a case and has original jurisdiction. The appellate court hears cases whose resolution is disputed by the losing party in the trial court. The supreme or high court hears cases whose outcome is disputed by the losing party in the appellate court. The supreme or high court chooses which cases warrant a hearing. The federal and the state court system have the same basic structure. Each consists of a trial court, an appellate court, and a supreme or high court. The Federal Court of Appeals has thirteen (13) circuits which cover most states except the District of Columbia. The federal system also has specialty courts such as the Court of Federal Claims and the United States Tax Court.
Problem solving courts can affect the entire judicial system by weeding out cases that can go to a drug court, traffic court, or whichever
...ies. Depending on the states’ political culture, the judge is elected through popular election either with partisan or nonpartisan elections. The political culture of the state affects the judges’ capabilities to make decisions. Judges are to uphold strict interpretation based on past precedent but it is difficult with social pressure. For example, moralistic Massachusetts passed civic unions for gays, however, in traditionalistic state Georgia would likely deny gay rights.
The court system is composed of lawyers, judges, and juries. Their job is to ensure that everyone receives a fair trial, determine guilt or innocence, and apply sentences to guilty parties. The court system will contain one judge, and a jury of twelve citizens. The jury of the court will determine the guilt or innocence of the individual. The jury will also recommend a sentence for the crime the individual committed.
Justice is a vital part of the American Court System and influenced and continues to influence since the beginning of American history. Structure and organization is an important factor that creates our outstanding court systems. The State and U.S Constitutions are not the only foundation of the court systems, but also that people that work hard to thrive for justice. Today, justice and equality causes the court systems to change and adapt to continue protecting the rights of the people.
The next component of the criminal justice system is the court. These courts are ran by judges that make sure the law is followed and oversees what happens in the courtroom. The courts are put in place so that the judges can decide whether to release offenders before the trial, except or reject plea agreements, or sentence convicted offenders (Hoffmann, 2011). The courts provide a set of guidelines that are used to resolve disputes and to test and enforce laws in a fair and rational
For example, the role of the judge or magistrate in the litigation process is to act as an independent, impartial and unbiased umpire. Among various other responsibilities including ensuring the rules of evidence and procedure are followed, the judge must determine the outcome of the case and the appropriate remedy (unless there is a jury) according to the law, the facts of the case and legal precedent. As stated by James Burrows Thomas, “independence, impartiality and service to humanity are the three primary imperatives underlying our system of judicial ethics…without which the system would fail because the necessary public trust in the...
Where the Magistrates Court, Crown Court and the County Court are considered as inferior courts; both civil and criminal divisions of courts have little difference. The court hearing first instance of a criminal case is the Magistrates Court. However, when there is a case concerning on a more serious criminal offence, the case would be first heard in the Crown Court instead. First instance of civil cases are usually tried in the Magistrates Court and rarely in the County Court.