This collection series serves as the primary source for detailed information on the structure and framework of state courts. The information collected includes the overall number of courts and judges in the nation's state courts; the selection and service requirements of judges; the governance, funding and administration of the judicial branch; the jurisdiction, staffing, and procedures associated with the nation's appellate courts; the administration, procedures, and specialized jurisdiction of state trial courts; the composition and workings of state juries; the sentencing context; and the overall structure of appellate and trial courts in each state. These data were last collected by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) in 2004.
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Data Experts |
Collection Period |
Documentation |
Methodology |
The State Court Organization or SCO data collection series serves as the primary source for detailed information on the structure and framework of state trial and appellate courts. SCO obtains organizational, operational, governance, staffing, and budgetary information for the trial and appellate courts of the nations 56 court systems located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.
Changes Over Time |
The 2009 State Court Organization project will endeavor to collect new information on information technology systems in state courts. Some of the electronic information collected will include the responsibilities and functions of a courts IT staff; the employment of e-filing procedures in trial and appellate courts; the accessibility of court information through online systems; and the implementation of case management systems as a means of organizing and managing a court's caseload.
Publications & Products |
Data Tables
Press Releases
State Court Organization, 1987-2004 Presents trend data from State Court Organization data collections covering the years 1987-2004. | |
PDF (363K) | ASCII file (27K) | Spreadsheet (Zip format 14K) | To order paper version Part of the State Court Organization Series |
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State Court Organization, 2004 Presents detailed comparative data by State trial and appellate courts in the United States. | |
PDF (5M) | ASCII file (34K) | Spreadsheet (Zip format 60K) | To order paper version Part of the State Court Organization Series |
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State Court Organization 1998 Presents detailed comparative data about State trial and appellate courts in the United States. | |
Full Report (PDF 1.5M) | Full Report (ASCII file 98K) | Courts and Judges (PDF 78K) | Courts and Judges - ZIP Format (Spreadsheet 3M) | Judicial Selection and Service (PDF 272K) | Judicial Selection and Service - ZIP Format (Spreadsheet 17M) | The Judicial Branch: Governance, Funding, and Administration (PDF 422K) | The Judicial Branch: Governance, Funding, and Administration - ZIP Format (Spreadsheet 30M) | Appellate Courts: Jurisdiction, Staffing, and Procedures (PDF 147K) | Appellate Courts: Jurisdiction, Staffing, and Procedures - ZIP Format (Spreadsheet 27M) | Trial Courts: Administration, Procedures, Specialized Jurisdiction (PDF 309K) | Trial Courts: Administration, Procedures, Specialized Jurisdiction - ZIP Format (Spreadsheet 13M) | The Jury (PDF 138K) | The Jury - ZIP Format (Spreadsheet 3M) | The Sentencing Context (PDF 156K) | The Sentencing Context - ZIP Format (Spreadsheet 61K) | Court Structure Charts (PDF 214K) | Codebooks and Datasets | To order paper version Part of the State Court Organization Series |
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Bureau of Justice StatisticsBJS Statistical Principals and Practices Scientific Integrity Statement OJP Freedom of Information Act |
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