Media Alert - CO Courts



Media Alert

Colorado Judicial Branch

Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice

Gerald Marroney, State Court Administrator

May 23, 2005

Contact: Karen Salaz

303/837-3633

1-800-888-0001 Ext. 633

courts.state.co.us

Colorado and federal court structures

Supreme Court of Colorado

7 justices – 10 year terms, Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, Justices Rebecca Kourlis, Gregory Hobbs, Alex Martinez, Michael Bender, Nancy Rice, Nathan Ben Coats. Court of last resort in Colorado’s judicial system, hears appeals primarily from Court of Appeals, most cases are accepted at the court’s discretion, hears direct appeals in cases involving constitutionality of a statute, death penalty, decisions of the PUC, writs of habeas corpus, decisions of water courts, proceedings under the election code and prosecutorial appeals concerning search and seizure questions in pending cases.

Colorado Court of Appeals

16 judges – 8 year terms, Court sits in panels of three judges, hears appeals from Colorado District Courts and Denver’s Juvenile and Probate Courts, also reviews decisions of several state administrative agencies.

Colorado District Courts

22 judicial districts, each served by a district court with one or more judges, total – 132 judges with 6-year terms, hold trials concerning felony criminal matters, civil claims in any amount, juvenile matters, probate (estate) matters, mental health and divorce.

Water Courts

7 divisions plus 5 groundwater basins; district judges assigned to water courts hear cases involving water rights and water disputes.

County Courts

64 county courts, 118 judges with 4-year terms, handle domestic violence restraining orders, misdemeanor criminal offences, traffic offences, small claims, civil cases under $15,000.

Municipal Courts (not part of state system)

Many towns and cities have municipal (city) courts which deal with violations and disputes over city ordinances like barking dogs, noise violations and zoning.

Denver Courts

Denver District Court – 2nd Judicial District

Felony criminal matters, civil suits in any amount

Denver Juvenile Court Denver Probate Court

Delinquency petitions, dependency and neglect Disputes involving the administration of

actions, termination of parental rights, estates, mental health issues, appointment

other juvenile issues. of guardians, governance of trusts.

*Only Denver has separate Juvenile and Probate Courts, elsewhere those functions are served by District Courts.

Denver County Courts (not a part of the state court system)

Denver is both a city and county so county courts function as both municipal and county courts. Jurisdiction includes civil cases under $15,000, misdemeanors, traffic offences, restraining orders, city ordinance violations and small claims.

Courts of the United States of America

United States Supreme Court

9 justices, appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, has complete discretion over cases it hears; hears mostly appeals from the U.S. Court of Appeals, also federal question issues from state Supreme Courts, on rare occasions reviews decisions of U.S. District Courts, has original jurisdiction over cases involving two or more states such as interstate water compacts.

United States Circuit Court of Appeal

13 Circuit Courts of Appeal, 12 regional circuits and the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., courts hear only appeals from U.S. District Courts and some administrative agencies.

United States District Courts

94 federal judicial districts, at least one in each state plus D.C., Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, general trial court of the federal system – hear federal question cases: suits between states, cases involving ambassadors and other public officials, federal crimes, bankruptcy, patent, copyright, and trademark cases, admiralty cases, anti-trust cases, securities and banking regulations, other cases involving federal statutes and diversity of citizenship cases involving more than $75,000 (parties in the case are all from different states).

United States Court of Claims

Handles claims for money damages against U.S., disputes over federal contracts, unlawful “takings” of private property by the federal government and other claims against the U.S.

United States Court of International Trade

Handles cases involving disputes over international trade agreements, tariffs and other trade disputes.

Special Courts Created by Congress

U.S. Tax Court – handles cases involving tax payments

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces – handles military cases, appeals from court martials

U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims – cases involving denial of veterans’ benefits

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) – grants warrants for wire-tapping, intelligence cases

This information is provided as an e-mail service of the Colorado State Judicial Branch, Office of State Court Administrator, 1301 Pennsylvania Street, Suite 300, Denver, Colo. 80203. To discontinue this service or update your e-mail address, please respond to this message with your name, contact information and any comments.

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