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The National Center for State Courts promotes the rule of law and improves the administration of justice in state courts and courts around the world.

Trusted Leadership. Proven Solutions. Better Courts.

The who, what, when, where and how of state courts

We've developed a three-minute “explainer” video about the role of state courts in our democracy. The video explains why the Founding Fathers elevated the judiciary to its status as the government’s third and equal branch. The video goes on to explain that state courts are made of local trial courts, where juries or judges decide cases, as well as appellate and supreme courts.

Watch the video here

NCSC Highlights

Issues of Excessive Fines Coming to a Court Near You
4 observations about social media and the courts
WANTED: Students to enter NCSC's 2019 Civics Education Essay Contest

NCSC Data Cards

  • There were 2,624 felony cases per 100,000 people in New Jersey in 2015
    In Hawaii, there were 384 Learn More
  • At least 9 states require no legal credentials for municipal judges,
    and 2 states (New Mexico and South Carolina) don’t require probate judges to possess legal credentials Learn More
  • Terms for grand juries range from 10 days in North Dakota
    to 2 years in South Carolina and Tennessee Learn More
  • 28 states have no maximum-age requirement for trial court judges
    Vermont allows its trial court judges to work until they’re 90 Learn More
  • There were 16,453 civil cases filed per 100,000 people in Maryland in 2015
    In California, the most populated state, there were 2,169 Learn More
  • 64 percent of all cases in general jurisdiction courts in South Dakota in 2015 were criminal
    In New York, 3 percent were criminal Learn More
  • In Delaware, there were 15,557 criminal misdemeanor cases per 100,000 people in 2015
    In Kansas, there were 891 Learn More
  • In New Jersey, the most densely populated state, there were 56,499 traffic cases per 100,000 people in 2015
    In Massachusetts, the third most densely populated state, there were 1,932 Learn More
  • Only 2 states leave it up to state lawmakers to elect all judges Virginia and South Carolina
    To see more statistics, go to courtstatistics.org Learn More
  • There were 4,175 domestic relations cases per 100,000 people in Virginia in 2015
    In Colorado, there were 678 Learn More

CourtTalk

This Month's Episode

Tough Cases, tough decisions

10 Questions with NCSC experts


Meet Blake Kavanagh, Knowledge and Information Analyst

Blake is one of those people who seems to love wherever she happens to be – Roanoke, Va., where she grew up; Charlottesville, where she attended the University of Virginia; Florence, where she studied abroad; and Williamsburg, where she went to William & Mary Law School and now lives with her husband and three sons. She also loves that her job allows her to delve into so many different areas, often in the same day.

READ THE STORY

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