CA Supreme Court

The California courts are divided according to the jurisdiction of each court. The CA DOJ handles many cases, including the presentation of evidence. For example, the county courts are generally found in the county seat or the capital of that county. The highest California courts are the supreme courts, which are directly above the California court of appeals.

The courts which are below the court of appeals are the Superior courts of California which encompass a myriad of types of cases. For example, divorce cases may be heard by the superior court. In fact, divorces which cannot be handled in mediation include the judge making all determinations for a divorce agreement.

At the same level of court, judges may also determine spousal support payments, child support payments and child custody issues. However, issues that pertain to the children are handled separately from the divorce agreement.

Any cases which involve a possibility that there was an error of law in reaching a decision or judgment may be sent to the Supreme Court. The judges which make up the Supreme Court may decide to throw out a decision from the lower courts if it appears that any laws or rules of law were broken.

In fact, the lower courts must abide by any decision made by the Supreme Court, including convictions which are thrown out, and the courts may have to retry a case in some circumstances. However, the State cannot send cases to the Supreme Court if they are unhappy with the outcome due to the double jeopardy rule.

NEXT: Easy Guide to the CA Courts