State court systems are typically divided into four parts: courts of limited jurisdiction, courts of general jurisdiction, appellate courts, and courts of last resort. Each of these courts has its own unique role in the processing of criminal justice defendants.
Courts of limited jurisdiction typically handle smaller, less serious cases. Misdemeanor trials, the early stages of felony trials, and civil cases below a certain amount are heard in courts of limited jurisdiction. Additionally, traffic offenses and felony cases where the potential punishment is below a certain limit are often heard in these courts. These courts are known by many names: municipal, justice, magistrate, and county courts are all examples of courts of limited jurisdiction. Because of their smaller nature, lower courts such as these are often less formal than federal or appellate courts, which can warp the perception of the public when it comes to the application of justice.
Courts of general jurisdiction handle more severe cases. Serious felony trials, civil lawsuits above a certain amount, and other serious cases are heard in courts of general jurisdiction. Trials here almost always involve a jury and the potential for heavy sentences, or in the case of civil suits, heavy damages. In some states, courts of general jurisdiction also hear appeals from lower courts.
Appellate courts are the next rung in the judicial ladder. When defendants believe there to have been egregious errors, either by the police, prosecutors or lower-court judges, they can file an appeal through the appellate court. Appellate courts do not retry cases, they simply examine whether the appeal is valid or not. Based on that examination, the appellate court can overturn the decision of a lower court, and the prosecutor will have to decide whether or not to retry the defendant without the offending error. If the defendant is not retried, it is simply as if they were never charged with a crime in the first place.
Finally, there are courts of last resort. Courts of last resort are typically the highest courts in the system, and they will hear cases which have been particularly controversial or which have been appealed again and again. Courts of last resort often have the unique ability to decide which cases they will or will not hear. These courts often hear cases in which it is believed that constitutional rights have been violated or where due process has been mangled or otherwise befouled. States typically have one court of last resort, usually the state supreme court. Cases from state courts of last resort that are not satisfactorily resolved, or which are resolved in a way possibly contradictory to the U.S. Constitution, are sometimes referred all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which is the highest court in our nation. The U.S. Supreme Court, like state courts of last resort, can decide which cases it will or will not take on.
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