United States, Types of Courts - International Institute

Criminal Courts
The court administers the penal code, i.e. persons that have been accused of a criminal offense are brought to trial and either found not guilty or guilty and sentenced. In a criminal action the state (or the people) is the plaintiff.

Civil Courts
The court proceedings for a court of equity (chancery), i.e. the court of equity, relates to impartial justice between two parties whose claims (or rights) conflict. Actions include those related to divorces (early divorces were sometimes the jurisdiction of the state legislature), real property controversies, partitions, trusts, and foreclosures of liens. Proceedings of equity court frequently involve family disagreements or disputes which will provide relationships between family members.

Court proceedings for a court of law include actions relating to recovery of monetary damages for injuries to the person of a particular party, to his property, or to his reputation.

Recording Actions
A court can be a “court of record” (one required by law to keep a permanent record of its proceedings) or a “court not of record” (one not required by law to keep permanent records).

Court records you may find include (but are not limited to):


 * Docket
 * Minutes
 * Judgments
 * Decrees
 * Orders
 * Probate cases
 * Licenses
 * Vital Records
 * Tax Records
 * Conveyance of property

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