General Jurisdiction

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Courts of General Jurisdiction: Definition & Lesson

Courts of general jurisdiction are the entry point for many cases in the American legal system. In this lesson, we will learn about the structure and function of these courts as well as review how a case moves through criminal and civil court.

Courts of General Jurisdiction

The United States allow each state to establish its own court system to hear cases related to state law. They follow a hierarchy from courts of limited jurisdiction, to courts of general jurisdiction, intermediate courts of appeals, and finally courts of last resort (which have the highest authority at the state level). State courts make decisions on criminal and civil matters of state law. The federal government has …show more content…

These cases are heard from the beginning again (referred to as a trial de novo), by calling witnesses and presenting evidence as if they were brand new cases. All other levels of appeal after the court of general jurisdiction are heard without recalling witnesses or examining new evidence.

Process of Trial

Courts of general jurisdiction hear cases that are more serious than courts of limited jurisdiction. It can be a very slow process to bring a case to trial. The vast majority of cases are settled out of court before they are heard by a judge. Often the accused will plead guilty before trial and be sentenced, or reach a civil settlement to award monetary damages, without a full trial. Cases that do go to trial are often decided by a jury (all criminal cases, and most higher cost civil cases). There are several steps to the process of hearing a case before these courts. At any point in this process, a case can stop going forward if the defense pleads guilty and then, they will move directly to sentencing. The process is slightly different for criminal and civil cases, initially. Let's look at

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