State Trial Courts

State trial courts located in local judicial districts that have jurisdiction in all cases in equity, cases involving title to or possession of real property, civil cases, felony and misdemeanor cases, probate and divorce matters, conciliation and domestic relations cases, adoptions, psychiatric cases, juvenile cases and traffic cases as well as appeals from Justice Courts. Appeals from the state trial court level are heard in most states by the State Courts of Appeal or the State Supreme Court at their discretion. In some states, a distinction is made between municipal courts which hear civil cases involving monetary claims lower than an established amount and criminal cases involving infractions punishable by a fine but not imprisonment, misdemeanor cases and preliminary hearings for felony cases; and superior courts which hear civil cases involving more substantial monetary claims, felony cases and other types of cases including adoption and family law matters, mental health cases, probate cases, and juvenile cases. In some states municipal courts are established by individual cities and have concurrent jurisdiction with superior courts over misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor violations and exclusive jurisdiction over infractions of local ordinances.