In the United States, a trial court of
general jurisdiction is authorized to hear some type of
civil or
criminal case that is not committed exclusively to another court. The
United States district courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction of the
federal judiciary; each state has a system establishing trial courts of general jurisdiction, such as the
circuit courts in Florida, the
superior courts in California, and the
New York Supreme Court in New York state. Most trial courts are
courts of record, where the record of the presentation of evidence is created and must be maintained or transmitted to the appellate court. The record of the trial court is certified by the
clerk of the trial court and transmitted to the appellate body. Not all cases are heard in trial courts of general jurisdiction. A trial court of
limited jurisdiction is authorized to hear only specified types of cases. Trial courts of limited jurisdiction may be limited in
subject-matter jurisdiction (such as
juvenile,
probate, and
family courts in many U.S. states, or the
United States Tax Court in the federal judiciary) or by other means, such as
small claims courts in many states for civil cases with a low
amount in controversy. Other trials do not take place in courts at all, but in
quasi-judicial bodies or in
administrative agencies with
adjudicatory power created by statute to make binding determinations with simplified procedural practices, such as
arbitration. The United States Supreme Court is primarily an appellate court,
but has original jurisdiction in cases involving a diplomatic official or a state. Because different U.S. states apply different names to their courts, it is often not evident whether a court has general or limited
jurisdiction or indeed is a trial court at all. For instance, the Maine District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction, but the
Nevada District Courts are courts of general jurisdiction. Likewise, the
Delaware Court of Common Pleas is a court of limited jurisdiction, but the
Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are courts of general jurisdiction. Similarly, the
California Superior Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction, but the
Superior Court of Pennsylvania is an appellate court, and the
New Jersey Superior Court is both. ==See also==