InNorth Carolina, there are three federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and subject matter jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

• Federal courts
• State supreme court
• State court of appeals
• Trial courts
• Special courts

The image below depicts the flow of cases through North Carolina's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of North Carolina's state court system.

Judicial selection process

See also:Judicial selection in North Carolina andNorth Carolina judicial elections

Theseven justices of theNorth Carolina Supreme Court and the15 judges of theNorth Carolina Court of Appeals are chosen bypartisan election.^[1] This became law in December 2016.^[2] Before that, election of appellate judges had been nonpartisan since 2004.^[3]

The judges of theNorth Carolina Superior Courts are all chosen inpartisan elections to serve eight-year terms. From 1996 through 2016, elections for superior court judges were nonpartisan; however, on March 23, 2017, the North Carolina legislature changed the method of election to partisan elections by overriding Gov.Roy Cooper's veto of HB 100. This change was effective with the2018 superior court elections.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

The judges of theNorth Carolina District Courts are all chosen inpartisan elections to serve four-year terms. From 2002 through 2016, elections for district court judges were nonpartisan; however, on March 23, 2017, the North Carolina legislature changed the method of election to partisan elections by overriding Gov.Roy Cooper's veto of HB 100. This change was effective with the 2018 district court elections.^[7][8]

To read more about judicial elections in North Carolina,click here.

Federal courts

Thefederal district courts in North Carolina are the:

• TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
• TheUnited States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
• TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina

Rulings from these federal courts can be appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

Active judges

Eastern District

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 0

• Democratic appointed: 0
• Republican appointed: 4

Middle District

The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.

• Democratic appointed: 0
• Republican appointed: 2

Western District

District map

Judicial selection

Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by thepresident of the United States and confirmed by theUnited States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, clickhere.

State supreme court

See also:Supreme Court of North Carolina

TheSupreme Court of North Carolina is thecourt of last resort in the state. Seven justices serve on this court. The primary function of the Supreme Court is to decide questions of law that have arisen in the lower courts or state administrative agencies, as well as to review Court of Appeals cases upon petition.^[9] The following judges sit on the court:

State court of appeals

See also:North Carolina Court of Appeals

TheNorth Carolina Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate appellate court. Fifteen judges serve on this court. Rotating panels of three judges hear cases, which are appeals from the trial courts.^[10] The following judges sit on the court:

Trial courts

Superior courts

See also:North Carolina Superior Courts

TheNorth Carolina Superior Courts hear felony criminal cases, civil cases involving more than $25,000, and appeals from the district courts. The superior courts are divided into five divisions.^[11] The map below shows each of those divisions by county.

District courts

See also:North Carolina District Courts

TheNorth Carolina District Courts preside in cases involving civil, criminal, juvenile, and magistrate matters. These courts are divided into 42 judicial districts.^[12] The map below shows each of these judicial districts by county.

Special courts

North Carolina directs certain cases to a group of special courts with limited scopes. The following special courts exist in North Carolina:

• Business Court - This court is headed by a special superior court judge who oversees cases involving corporate and commercial law and that are assigned to the court by the chief justice of theNorth Carolina Supreme Court.^[13]
• Family Court - These courts help the district courts resolve domestic and juvenile cases.^[14]
• Recovery Courts - These courts were created to help offenders with chemical dependency issues to follow their court-ordered treatment plans.^[15]

In other states

See also

• Judicial selection in North Carolina
• North Carolina judicial elections

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• North Carolina Supreme Court

Footnotes

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