In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general competence which typically has unlimited jurisdiction with regard to civil and criminal legal cases. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive A court is a forum used by a power base to adjudicate disputes and dispense civil, labour administrative and criminal Justice under its In Law, jurisdiction (from the Latin ius iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak" is the practical Authority A legal case is a dispute between opposing parties resolved by a Court, or by some equivalent legal process A superior court is "superior" relative to a court with limited jurisdiction (see lower court), which is restricted to civil cases involving monetary amounts with a specific limit, or criminal cases involving offenses of a less serious nature. A superior court may hear appeals from lower courts (see court of appeal). In Law, an appeal is a process for requesting a formal change to an official decision Court of Appeal, Court of Appeals, and Appellate Division redirect here for a list of specific courts using those titles see Court of Appeal

Canada

Main article: Court system of Canada

Superior Courts in Canada exist at the provincial and territorial levels. The court system of Canada is made up of many Courts differing in levels of legal superiority and separated by jurisdiction Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The superior courts are the courts of first instance for divorce petitions, civil lawsuits involving claims greater than small claims, and criminal prosecutions for "indictable offences". In many Common law Jurisdictions (eg the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Canada, United States, India, They also perform a reviewing function for judgements from the local "inferior" courts and administrative decisions by provincial or territorial government entities such as labour boards, human rights tribunals and licensing authorities.

Peru

Main article: Superior Courts of Justice of Peru

Peru's Superior Courts of Justice or Superior Sectors are the second highest courts of the Judicial System of Peru, second to the Supreme Court. The Superior Courts of Justice or Superior Sectors of Peru are the second highest courts of the Judicial System of Peru. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. The Judicial System of Peru, usually known as the Judicial Power in Peru, is an organism of the government of the Republic of Peru composed of The Supreme Court of Justice is the highest judicial court in Peru. There is one court for each Judicial District which more or less correspond to each of the country's 25 regions. The Judicial Districts of Peru are subdivisions of the Judicial System of Peru. The regions of Peru (Regiones del Perú are the first-level Administrative subdivisions of Peru.

United States

One of the Los Angeles Superior Courthouses in downtown Los Angeles

In a number of jurisdictions in the United States, the Superior Court is a state trial court of general jurisdiction with power to hear and decide any civil or criminal action which is not specially designated to be heard in some other court. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In the United States, a state court has Jurisdiction over disputes with some connection to a U A trial court or court of first instance is the Court in which most civil or criminal cases begin California, Maine, the District of Columbia, and Georgia are all examples of such jurisdictions. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule Equivalent courts in other states are variously known as circuit courts (Illinois, Michigan, Oregon and others), district courts (Louisiana, Texas, Hawaii and others) or, in the case of New York, supreme courts. Circuit court is the name of court systems in several Common law jurisdictions The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. District courts are a category of Courts which exists in several nations The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous A supreme court, also called a court of last resort or high court, is in some Jurisdictions the highest judicial body within that jurisdiction's

The term "superior court" raises the obvious question of superior to what. Formerly, many jurisdictions had inferior trial courts of limited jurisdiction such as municipal courts, traffic courts, and justice of the peace courts, so it was natural to call the next level of courts "superior. " However, some states, like California, have unified their court systems. In California, all lower courts were absorbed into the superior courts after 1998. The lower courts now exist only as mere administrative subdivisions of the superior courts. The superior courts are legally no longer superior to any other courts. Thus, the term "superior court" persists in California only as a matter of tradition.

In Pennsylvania, the Superior Court is an appellate court. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The Superior Court of Pennsylvania is the intermediate court of appeal in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, between the Trial court of general jurisdiction -- called Court of Appeal, Court of Appeals, and Appellate Division redirect here for a list of specific courts using those titles see Court of Appeal In New Jersey, the Superior Court comprises trial courts of general jurisdiction, courts of equity, and an appellate division. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The Superior Court is the state court in the US state of New Jersey, with state-wide trial and appellate jurisdiction Equity is the name given to the set of legal principles in jurisdictions following the English common law tradition which supplement strict rules of law where In Law, an appeal is a process for requesting a formal change to an official decision

See also

• Judiciary

External links

• California Courts-the Judicial Branch of California
• Los Angeles Superior Court