State Courts in Florida - Essay Sample

Introduction

Different states in the United States tend to have different court systems. However, all of them are hierarchical, and they have a scope of the cases they can handle. The state courts handle cases which have a connection to the respective states, and they are the ones that deal with most of the civil and criminal cases within the states.The court system in Florida comprises of two entities which are two courts of appeal comprising of the Supreme Court and five district courts which handle appeals (Florida, 2016). There are also trial level courts which are two in number and 20 circuit and 67 county courts. The chief justice is the chief administrative officer of the judiciary. He can serve for a maximum of eight years. In ensuring that there was a uniform reporting of cases and providing information about the judiciary, in 1972 the Office of State Courts was established(Bast, 2008).The board is also mandated with the preparation of the budget for the courts.

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The Supreme Court

This is the apex court in the state, and it requires a quorum to conduct its business. It has seven judges, and five must be present for it to make judgements, and four must agree on a case to make a decision. Its jurisdiction includes death sentences, validations of bonds, decisions of the district courts to declare a state statute; the court procedure rules the public utilities relating to the actions of state agencies(Florida,2016).The court has the absolute authority of the regulation, discipline and admission of lawyers as well as the power to remove and discipline judges.

The District Courts of Appeal

Most of the trial decisions of the court are conducted by a bench of three judges. At the district court level, the senior judge who is appointed by the body of judges of the district court is in charge of all the administrative duties of the court. Their main work is to make decisions on the appeals from the circuit courts and appeals on administrative laws. The courts can also review the decisions made by the county courts, which invalidate the provisions of the constitution of Florida or its statues(Bast, 2008). Finally, they can review the judgements made by the count courts if they are of public importance.

The Circuit Courts

Most of the cases in Florida are prosecuted at this court. They are also called the general jurisdiction courts. They hear all the civil and criminal cases which are not under the jurisdiction of the county courts. The cases they handle include juvenile dependency and delinquency and family laws(Florida,2016). Others are guardianship, probate, mental health and civil matters which are over $15,000.They hear the appeals emanating from the county courts as well as the actions of administration if they are provided they law, specifically general law. (Bast, 2008).They finally have the power to issue writs which are essential for the completion of their jurisdiction.

The County Courts

All the 67 counties in Florida have a minimum of one county judge. The population determines the number of judges. The courts have limited jurisdiction as established by law. They are called peoples, courts because they mostly deal with disputes involving people. They also deal with traffic offences, tenant and landlord disputes, county ordinances, and disputes involving money up to $15,000. (Bast, 2008).They can again hear marriage dissolution cases.

How the System Is Different From Other States

When the court system in Florida is compared with the one in Washington is realized that both systems have court hierarchy of four levels starting with the Supreme Court and the court of appeal. The third tier in Washington is the superior courts while in Florida, they are referred to as the circuit courts. Finally, the lowest courts in Florida are called county while in Washington, they are called courts of limited jurisdiction (Washington,2016).However, in the two states, the scopes of the cases the different courts handle are almost the same.

References

Bast, C. M. (2008). Florida courts. Indianapolis, Ind: Prentice Hall. Indianapolis, Ind. : Prentice Hall ; London : Pearson Education

Florida, & Florida State Court System. (2016). State court forms (Florida). Tallahassee, FL : Florida State Court System, State Courts Administration.

Washington (State)., & Washington State Court System. (2016). State court forms (Washington).