State Supreme Court
Definition of State Supreme Court
Note: See a more comprehensive approach to the State Supreme Court legal concept in the American Law Encyclopedia
The court of last resort in state judicial systems. Almost every state calls this court the supreme court although several have other names such as the supreme court of appeals. Regardless of name, this court functions as the final appellate authority within the state system. It differs from the United States Supreme Court (Law of the United States) in that many state supreme court judges are elected rather than appointed. There is some variation in the structure and jurisdiction of state supreme courts. They range in size from five to nine justices, and, like the U.S. Supreme Court, they generally sit en banc rather than in panels. The appellate jurisdiction of state supreme courts depends substantially on whether the system contains an intermediate appellate court. Where an intermediate court exists, the supreme court typically possesses extensive discretion over the cases it reviews. This discretionary jurisdiction allows state supreme courts essentially to control substantive law questions on their dockets. If the system does not have an intermediate court, the state supreme court provides the first level appellate function and is often required to review at least certain categories of cases.
See Also
Discretionary Jurisdiction (Law of the United States) Intermediate Appellate Court (Law of the United States) United States Supreme Court (Law of the United States) (Law of the United States).
Resources
State Supreme Court Related Resources
- State Supreme Court in the United States Legal Encyclopedia
- Judicial Organization Keywords in the United States Legal Encyclopedia
- Judicial Organization Keywords in the International Legal Dictionary
Notes
- “State Supreme Court”, The American Law Dictionary, 1991, California
Leave a Reply