The state of Virginia in the United States upholds a strong judicial system that targets at resolving disputes quickly, economically and with fair judgment. The court system has a neat structure and follows a unified administration. Virginia Court comprises of:
- Supreme Court of Virginia
- The Court of Appeals of Virginia
- Circuit Courts in 31 Judicial Circuits
- General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts (in 32 districts)
- Magistrates in the District Offices
Office of the Executive Secretary is the administrative wing of the Virginia Courts; the administration of the court system is done under the guidance of Chief Justice and Executive Secretary.
Supreme Court of Virginia
Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest authority of the judiciary that has the liberty to review decisions of the lower courts like Court of Appeals and Circuit Courts. The online site of the Virginia Court provides information about the appeals granted. Once the court gives its decision the list is removed for the new appeals. The argument docket is posted almost 14 days ago before the start of a session.
Court of Appeals of Virginia
It is the intermediate appellate court of Virginia which reviews the decisions of the Circuit Courts. Usually the cases that are solved here deals with domestic relations and affairs, traffic cases and criminal cases with exception to death penalty offences. It hears appeals from Virginia's administrative agencies and Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission. The office of the Chief Attorney Staff reviews the petition appeals and the staff prepares written summaries of the original cases to help judges in their decision making process.
Circuit Court
It is the general jurisdiction trial court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is operational ion 31 judicial circuits and has the authority to provide judgment for civil as well as criminal cases. It has a broad power to deal with cases with claims surpassing $15,000 and shares authority with general district court to hear matters that deals with claims in the range of $4,500 and $ 15,000. It also has the right to hear serious criminal offences termed as felonies. Circuit Court of Virginia handles divorce cases, one of the family matters.
General District Court
Unlike Circuit Court it has a limited jurisdiction over cases. It is a trial court, which handles civil cases involving claims up to an amount of $15,000. It also deals with traffic infractions and misdemeanor offences. For major criminal cases it can only conduct preliminary hearing. Some of the general civil cases handled by these courts are like landlord and tenant dispute, personal injury cases and contract disputes.
Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court
It is a limited jurisdiction trial court that deals with cases pertaining to families and children. Juvenile delinquency cases are such cases that would have been considered a criminal offence if it was committed by a person above the age of 18. Status offences are unlawful acts committed by children; unlawful since they are minor. The family matters handled by these courts are child custody, support and visitation. Child abuse cases are also dealt by these courts.
Magistrate System
It is the first judicial body that a citizen of Virginia can approach for any kinds of complaints. The magistrates provide unbiased reviews of complaints and they are the ones who issues arrest warrants, search warrants, summonses and bonds. They are also authorized to conduct bail hearings. They provide 24*7 support to the citizens through personal hearing or videoconferencing system.
