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Court Organization Statistics

Summary findings | BJS publications | Related sites

Summary findings

• Courts and judges
• Judicial selection and service
• The judicial branch
• State appellate court systems
• State trial courts
• Specialized courts
• The jury

Courts and judges

Appellate courts are divided into two basic categories –

• Courts of last resort - These courts are established in the State's constitution and have final jurisdiction over appeals.
  
• Intermediate appellate courts - These courts hear initial appeals from trial courts, the outcome of which can be subject to further review by the State's courts of last resort.
  
  

The State appellate bench consists of 1,335 members. Term lengths vary between States from four to sixteen years; only Rhode Island selects judges to serve for life, while Massachusetts and Puerto Rico mandate terms that last until retirement at age 70.

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Judicial selection and service

State court judges are likely to face an election as a part of their selection process and to serve fixed terms, which for courts of last resort justices range between 6 and 14 years (15 years in the District of Columbia).

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The judicial branch

• court of last resort (fifteen States)
  
• the Chief Justice of the court of last resort (34 States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico).
  

In most States the judicial branch's budget is initially prepared by the State's administrative office of the courts, generally followed by a central review of budget submissions by the State's court of last resort or administrative office of the courts.

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State appellate court systems

Courts of last resort were established early in a State's history, while intermediate appellate courts are a more contemporary development. In 1957, only 13 States had a permanent intermediate appellate court, while currently, 39 States have both types of appellate courts.

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State trial courts

Trial court administration generally involves judges with managerial responsibility, clerks of court, and trial court administrators. A chief or presiding judge generally serves as an executive overseer who ensures that court policy is implemented.

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Specialized courts

Problem solving courts have emerged in most States over the past several years and specialize in targeting issue areas such as domestic violence and drug addiction. By far, the most common problem solving courts are drug courts and family courts.

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The jury

Exemptions from jury duty are generally based on age or occupation. Twenty-four States and the District of Columbia do not grant automatic occupational exemptions; several other States limit exemptions to those on active military service.

Four States use eight- (Arizona and Utah) or six-member juries (Connecticut and Florida) in their courts of general jurisdiction for non-capital felonies, and two States (Louisiana, Oregon and Puerto Rico) do not require a unanimous verdict in such cases.

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BJS Publications

This list is in order of the most recent publication first. Additional titles are listed on other topical pages and a comprehensive list is contained on the BJS publications page. To see a full abstract of a publication with links to electronic versions of the publication, click on the title below.

State Court Organization, 1987-2004, 10/07. Presents trend data from State Court Organization data collections covering the years 1987-2004. NCJ 217996

State Court Organization 2004, 8/06. Presents detailed comparative data by State trial and appellate courts in the United States. NCJ 212351

State Court Organization 1998, 6/00. NCJ 178932
State Court Organization 1993, 2/95. NCJ 148346

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Related sites

• Office of Justice Programs Courts page
• National Center for State Courts, Courts Statistics Project
• U.S. Federal Courts

Bureau of Justice Statistics
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Page last revised on October 31, 2007