U. S. Judicial System

case workload is handled by the minor trial courts. Typical

original jurisdiction includes:

• Initial appearances
• Preliminary hearings
• Misdemeanor trials
• Traffic and parking cases
• Civil cases involving less than $52,000 (Nebraska)
• Often serve as the local juvenile court

58 County Court Judges serving 12 judicial districts in

Nebraska

Major Trial Courts

Usually called District Courts. Typical jurisdiction

includes:

• Arraignments
• Felony trials
• Civil cases involving more than $52,000 (Nebraska)
• Appeals from the minor courts

58 District Court Judges serving 12 judicial districts in

Nebraska

Court of fact (substantive court) vs. court of law

(procedural court) principle

Appellate Courts

• Handles appeals from the lower courts
• No jury
• Generally sit “in division”
• Adjudicate the law

Six Appellate Court Judges in Nebraska

Supreme Courts

• Handles appeals from the lower courts
• No jury
• Generally sit “en banc”
• Adjudicate the law

Seven Supreme Court Justices in Nebraska

Misc. Courts

• Juvenile courts
• Small claims courts
• Courts of industrial relations
• Tax courts
• Customs courts
• Copyright and patent courts
• Bankruptcy courts
• Military courts
• Workers compensation courts
• Regulatory agencies often have judicial bodies

Administrative Support

• Clerk of the Courts
• Collects fines
• Files the paperwork
• Statistical reporting
• Maintains case histories
• Monitor and schedule cases
• Document preparation
• Case indexing
• Issues summonses
• Notifies witnesses, attorneys, etc. of required court appearances