The main job of a superior court judge is to preside over legal disputes and enter binding judgments after a thorough examination of the facts, though how this is done on a daily basis varies greatly from place to place and even from court to court. In most cases, the job entails much more than simply sitting behind a bench and picking a side in a debate. In most cases, the job entails a great deal of research and analysis into the issues at hand, as well as a great deal of paperwork and filing that must be completed with extreme accuracy and precision. If a judge’s decision is overturned on appeal, he or she may be assigned additional administrative responsibilities to assist an appellate court in making a decision about a retrial. Judges of the superior court, at least in the United States, are normally elected the public, so campaigning and re-election events are frequently part of the job, assuming the judge wishes to remain in office.
Getting a General Understanding of the Superior Court System
The concept of a “superior court” is usually associated with the United States, though it is also used to describe courts in Canada and Europe. In most cases, the name corresponds to the court’s position in the regional justice system’s overarching hierarchy. This hierarchy can be difficult to comprehend because many states use the same names for courts with different powers, and there isn’t usually much uniformity in system structure. These courts are known as Courts of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania and Ohio, for example. Circuit Courts exist in Michigan and Oregon, while District Courts exist in Louisiana and Hawaii. There is a Supreme Court in New York. Every state and the District of Columbia have a court with the authority to hear and decide any case that is not assigned to another court. A superior court, on the other hand, is typically thought of as a state court that hears serious cases, typically involving large sums of money or criminal charges.
In order to reduce caseloads, most states have divided their superior courts system into several divisions. State governments also divide their territories into districts. Each state’s Superior Court system could have anywhere from a few dozen to over 100 Superior Court judges, depending on the state’s districts and subdivisions. The Superior Court of New Jersey is divided into three divisions: the Appellate, Law, and Chancery Divisions. The Alaskan Superior Court is divided into four divisions, with a total of 40 judges presiding.
Universal Responsibilities
Most people’s mental image of a judge is of a man in a black robe sitting behind a courtroom bench listening to arguments, and judges in the various superior courts are no exception. Their primary responsibility could be described as applying the best interpretation of the law to the facts of cases that are typically complex, personal, and emotional. In most cases, the judge must remain detached and impartial, and must be able to make a decision based on well-established precedent. In most cases, he or she must write a detailed opinion that explains the reasoning behind the decision. These decisions are usually published, and if they aren’t overturned on appeal, they can serve as precedent in future cases involving similar issues.
Cases Heard and the Types of Cases
Superior courts can hear a wide range of claims, and the state usually determines the caseload of each judge. In New York, for example, the supreme court judges hear the most basic types of cases, which are usually heard in smaller courts in other states. If a position in the clerk’s office becomes vacant, North Carolina’s senior resident on the superior court appoints people to fill it. For redistricting cases, the senior resident may form a three-judge panel in exceptional circumstances.
Delaware’s superior court used to only hear civil cases, but since 1951, when their judicial system was reorganized, they can now hear criminal cases that were previously handled the Court of General Sessions and the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The Court of Oyer and Terminer is an independent commission that adjudicates all treasons, felonies, and misdemeanors. After it was abolished in 1951, the superior court judge took over the majority of the criminal court cases. The superior court in Delaware, like the majority of the United States, has the authority to investigate misdeeds justices of the peace, sheriffs, coroners, and clerks. In most places, superior courts are also involved in delinquent tax cases.