NOTICE: This glossary of legal words and phrases is provided to help you better understand the legal terminology used in the court system. THIS GLOSSARY IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE ADVICE OF AN ATTORNEY.
THIS WEBSITE CANNOT GIVE YOU LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD NEVER RELY ON THESE VERY BASIC DEFINITIONS TO MAKE LEGAL DECISIONS. Please use this glossary to get a general understanding of your legal circumstance and have a better interaction with your attorney.
Court—A government body given the legal power to hear and decide cases. A court can be either a trial court or an appellate court.
Jurisdiction—The legal power and authority for a court to hear and decide particular types of cases. A court without jurisdiction cannot make decisions in a case. Jurisdiction can also mean the geographic area in which a court has legal authority to act on cases, such as a city, a county, or a judicial district.
Trial court—A court with legal authority to hear and decide cases, civil and criminal, conduct trials, hearings, and other proceedings, issue rulings, orders, and decisions, and impose criminal penalties where appropriate in a particular geographic area. Trial courts hear witnesses, admit exhibits, and decide both legal and factual issues.
Court of Appeals or Appellate Court—A court above the trial court level which reviews trial court proceedings and decisions for legal errors. Courts of appeal do not conduct trials, hear witnesses’ testimony, or take evidence.
State Court—A court responsible for administering justice by applying state law within one of the United States. Each of the fifty states has their own state court system.
In the Ohio state court system, Common Pleas Court, Municipal, Domestic Relations, Probate and Juvenile courts are trial courts. There are twelve district courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court of Ohio. The Ohio Court of Claims is a specialized trial court for hearing cases against the State of Ohio.
Federal Court—A court established by Congress for administering justice on matters of federal law (patents, trademarks, counterfeiting, federal criminal laws, bankruptcy, constitutional issues, antitrust, civil rights, etc.) Federal trial courts are the United States District Courts.
Common Pleas Court—The general jurisdiction trial court in Ohio. A common pleas court has legal authority over adult felony criminal cases, bigger civil cases, and all other cases not handled by another, more specialized court. The Common Pleas Court, General Division is the general jurisdiction trial court in Ohio counties.
Municipal Court—A trial court with jurisdiction to handle traffic and misdemeanor cases, and civil cases under $15,000. Small Claims Court is a part of Municipal Court. The local municipal court is the court for these matters in a city or county.
Domestic Relations Court—A state trial court that hears and decides matters relating to marriage, divorce, dissolution, child support, and other family law issues.
Probate Court—A state trial court that hears and decides matters involving estates, wills, guardianships, trusts, and adoptions, and issues marriage licenses.
Juvenile Court—A state trial court that hears and decides matters involving children, such as abuse, neglect, delinquency, and dependency.
Mayor’s Court—A trial court operating within a city for the purposes of handling certain traffic cases, parking violations, and minor criminal matters involving alleged violations of municipal ordinances. Some mayor’s courts where the mayor is not an attorney use magistrates to hear and decide cases.
Supreme Court—The highest level court of appeals in a state or nation that reviews decisions of lower courts for legal error. The highest level court in Ohio is the Supreme Court of Ohio. The highest court in the U.S. is the United States Supreme Court. Supreme courts frequently decide constitutional questions, and create the case law that applies in their areas that lower courts must follow.