| State Appellate Court Performance Standards |
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| The appellate court system's role is to review the decisions of trial courts and administrative agencies. Most states have a two-tier appellate court system that consists of an intermediate appellate court (usually called the court of appeals) and a court of last resort (usually called the supreme court). The trial court or administrative decision is first appealed to the intermediate appellate court. A further appeal is then available to the court of last resort. The Appellate Court Performance Standards Commission was set up to recommend performance standards for state appellate courts. More... |
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| Jury Deliberations |
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| The American system of justice generally allows litigants (the parties involved in a lawsuit) to choose between a jury trial and a bench trial. In a jury trial, the jury decides questions of fact and the judge applies the law. In a bench trial, the judge determines all questions of law and also decides all questions of fact. This article discusses the jury deliberation process. More... |
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| Judicial Administration |
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| Judicial administration refers to the management of state and federal court systems. The chief judge or justice of the court is ultimately responsible for the functioning of the court. Court administrators are responsible for many of the court's day-to-day operations such as budgets, personnel supervision, and the preparation of statistics and annual reports. Court clerks manage court calendars and court records. Other aspects of judicial administration include jury management, assignment of cases to judges, and oversight of ethical complaints against lawyers. More... |
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| Preclusion and Effect of a Judgment in a Civil Lawsuit |
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| There are several doctrines of preclusion in civil procedure. Some of these doctrines are res judicata, collateral estoppel, judicial estoppel, full faith and credit and law of the case.
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| Juvenile Courts |
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| A juvenile court is a specialized civil court dealing with children who are under the age of 18 who are abused, neglected, dependent, delinquent, and status offenders. Some juvenile courts also have the power to require treatment for mentally ill or developmentally disabled children. The goal of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate the juvenile. The juvenile court makes use of social service programs. There are important differences between juvenile courts and other civil courts. Juvenile hearings are usually closed to the public so that the juvenile's privacy is protected. A juvenile has no right to request a trial by jury. Juveniles cannot post bail in order to be released from detention. The probation officers involved in the juvenile justice system are court employees. They conduct evaluations and prepare reports to aid the juvenile judges in deciding a case. They also supervise juveniles who are placed on probation and report on the progress of juveniles on probation. More... |
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