1. North Carolina Courts

2. The Role of the Courts North Carolina courts resolve disputes, including lawsuits involving private disagreements, as well as criminal prosecutions. All North Carolina courts are organized and administered by the state.

3. District Courts North Carolina counties are grouped into 39 court districts. The district courts hold session in every county. In district courts, the judge who hears the case decides the verdict.

5. District Court Cases Cases in district courts can involve: juvenile law divorce family law mental commitments traffic violations civil cases involving less than $10,000 misdemeanors (minor crimes) initial hearing of felonies (serious criminal cases)

6. District Court Judges There are 235 district judges. These judges are elected to four-year terms with no term limits.

7. Superior Courts Superior courts handle civil cases involving more that $10,000 and felonies. Many of the cases they hear involve jury trials. Those found guilty of misdemeanors in district court can request a new trial by jury in a superior court.

8. Superior Court Judges Superior court judges are elected to eight- year terms with no term limits. There are 91 elected superior court judges, and about 15 special superior court judges that are appointed by the governor.

9. Magistrates Each county has at least one magistrate. The duties of the magistrate include: issuing search and arrest warrants, holding pretrial hearings, setting bail, hearing “small claims” cases (less than $4,000). Magistrates are nominated by the clerk of the superior court and appointed by a superior court judge. North Carolina has more than 700 magistrates.

10. District Attorney A district attorney is elected from each of the state’s 39 court districts. District attorneys are elected to serve four- year terms. The district attorney represents the state in all criminal cases and juvenile delinquency proceedings.

11. District Public Defender The district public defender represents extremely low-income, or indigent, persons who are accused of a crime. The Office of Indigent Defense provides legal representation by hiring attorneys at the state’s expense.

12. Appellate Courts Appellate Courts hear disputes about whether the decision of a trial court should be overturned.

13. The North Carolina Court of Appeals The 15 appeals court judges are elected by voters and serve eight-year terms. These judges hear cases in groups of three (panels). Two of the three judges must agree in order to reach a decision.

14. The North Carolina Supreme Court The N.C. Supreme Court consists of six justices and one chief justice. All seven are elected by the voters to serve eight-year terms. The N.C. Supreme Court decides which cases they will hear. The court does hear the appeals of all death sentences.

15. Judicial Reform Judges’ decisions are not supposed to represent particular parts of the community or favor a particular political party. Therefore, should judges be elected in partisan elections?