Each state has its own independent judicial system. State courts handle more than 90 percent of all criminal prosecutions in the United States. In this section, we examine the structure of state courts as these are the courts most people will come into contact with in some capacity (United States Courts, n.d.).

Although state court systems vary, there are some common features. Every state has one or more levels of trial courts and at least one appellate court. Most state courts have both courts of general jurisdiction, which conduct felony and major misdemeanor trials, and courts of limited jurisdiction, which conduct violations, infractions, and minor misdemeanor trials. All states have a court of last resort, generally referred to as the state Supreme Court. The court of last resort refers to the highest court in a state’s judicial system, which is typically referred to as the state Supreme Court. This court has the final say on all matters of state law and is responsible for interpreting the state’s constitution. Its decisions are considered binding on all lower courts within that state. The term is also used to describe the U.S. Supreme Court, which serves as the highest court in the federal judicial system, making it the court of last resort for all matters of federal law (Cornell Law School, n.d.).

Depending on the state laws, the Governor is authorized to appoint Judges. The Governor can, therefore, use these appointments to make history. In figure 7.9, Governor Inslee appointed Judge Mary Yu to the Washington State Supreme Court back in 2014. This was a historic moment for our courts. Judge Yu became the first Asian-American, Latina, and openly gay person on the State Supreme Court (Washington State Courts, 2024).

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“Structure of the Courts: State Courts” is adapted from “7.4. Structure of the Courts: State Courts” by Lore Rutz-Burri in SOU-CCJ230 Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System by Alison S. Burke, David Carter, Brian Fedorek, Tiffany Morey, Lore Rutz-Burri, and Shanell Sanchez, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Modifications by Sam Arungwa, Revisions by Roxie Supplee, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, include updating the content for clarity.

Figure 7.9. “Governor Inslee appointed Judge Mary Yu to the Washington State Supreme Court” by Governor Jay Inslee, Flickr is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.