Court 75358 222375355 2008-06-29T00:49:48Z Mwanner 93358 rv forum link -- see [[WP:EL]] {{otheruses}} {{refimprove|date=June 2007}} [[Image:Old Bailey Microcosm edited.jpg|250px|thumb|A trial at the [[Old Bailey]] in [[London]] as drawn by Thomas Rowlandson and Augustus Pugin for Ackermann's Microcosm of London (1808-11).]] A '''court''' is a public forum used by a power base to [[adjudication|adjudicate]] disputes and dispense [[private law|civil]], labour, administrative and [[criminal justice|criminal]] [[justice]] under its [[law]]s. In [[common law]] and [[civil law (legal system)|civil law]] [[state (law)|states]], courts are the central means for [[dispute resolution]], and it is generally understood that all persons have an ability to bring their claims before a court. Similarly, those accused of a crime have the right to present their defense before a court. Court facilities range from a simple farmhouse for a village court in a rural community to huge buildings housing dozens of courtrooms in large cities. A ''court'' is a kind of deliberative assembly with special powers, called its [[jurisdiction]], to decide certain kinds of judicial questions or petitions put to it. It will typically consist of one or more presiding officers, parties and their attorneys, bailiffs, reporters, and perhaps a [[jury]]. The term "court" is often used to refer to the ''president of the court'', also known as the "judge" or the "bench", or the panel of such officials. For example, in the United States, and other common law jurisdictions, the term "court" (in the case of U.S. federal courts) by law is used to describe the judge himself or herself.<ref>See generally {{usc|28|1}}: "The Supreme Court of the United States ''shall consist'' of a ''Chief Justice'' of the United States and ''eight associate justices'' [ . . . ]" (italics added); {{uscsub|28|43|b}}: "Each court of appeals ''shall consist'' of the ''circuit judges'' of the circuit in regular active service." (italics added); {{uscsub|28|132|b}} (in part): "Each district court ''shall consist'' of the ''district judge or judges'' for the district in regular active service." (italics added); {{usc|28|151}} (in part): "In each judicial district, the ''bankruptcy judges'' in regular active service ''shall constitute a unit of the district court'' to be known as the bankruptcy court for that district [ . . . ]" (italics added).</ref> In the United States, the legal authority of a court to take action is based on three pillars of power over the parties to the litigation: (1) Personal jurisdiction; (2) Subject matter jurisdiction; and (3) Venue. ==Jurisdiction== Jurisdiction, meaning "to speak the law" is the power of a court over a person or claim. In the United States, a court must have both [[personal jurisdiction]] and [[subject matter jurisdiction]]. Each state establishes a court system for the territory under its control. This system allocates work to courts or authorized individuals by granting both [[jurisdiction|civil]] and [[criminal jurisdiction]] (in the [[United States]], this is termed [[subject-matter jurisdiction]]). The grant of power to each category of court or individual may stem from a provision of a written [[constitution]] or from an enabling [[statute]]. In [[English law]], jurisdiction may be ''[[Inherent jurisdiction|inherent]]'', deriving from the common law origin of the particular court. ==Trial and appellate courts== Courts may be classified as [[trial (law)|trial]] courts (sometimes termed "courts of first instance") and [[appeal|appellate courts]]. Some trial courts may function with a [[judge]] and a [[jury]]: juries make findings of [[fact]] under the direction of the judge who reaches conclusions of law and, in combination, this represents the [[judgment]] of the court. In other trial courts, decisions of both fact and law are made by the judge or judges. Juries are less common in court systems outside the Anglo-American [[common law]] tradition. ==Civil law courts and common law courts== The two major models for courts are the civil law courts and the common law courts. Civil law courts are based upon the judicial system in France, while the common law courts are based on the judicial system in Britain. In most [[Civil law (legal system)|civil law]] jurisdictions, courts function under an [[inquisitorial system]]. In the [[common law]] system, most courts follow the [[adversarial system]]. [[Procedural law]] governs the rules by which courts operate: [[civil procedure]] for private disputes (for example); and [[criminal procedure]] for violation of the [[criminal law]]. ==Tribunal== {{wiktionarypar|tribunal}} {{main|Tribunal}} {{see|arbitration}}. {{Expand-section|date=January 2007}} ==Notes== <div class="references-small"> <references/> </div> ==See also== ===General=== * [[Sanctions (law)]] * [[International judicial institution]] * [[International Criminal Court]] * [[List of people who have acted as their own attorney]] ===Types and organization of courts=== * [[Appellate court]] * [[Constitutional Court]] * [[Court of Faculties]] * [[Court-martial]] * [[Courts of England and Wales]] * [[Ecclesiastical court]] * [[Equity court]] * [[Family court]] * [[High Court of Justiciary]] * [[Revolutionary Tribunal]] ([[French Revolution]]) * [[Scots law|Scots Law]] * [[Scottish Court Service]] * [[Supreme court]] * [[Trial court]] ==External links== *[http://www.uscourts.gov/ US federal courts] *[http://www.courtprep.ca/ Courtprep], Information about the Canadian justice process, features an interactive courtroom and witness tips. {{Law}} [[Category:Courts]] [[bs:Sud]] [[br:Lez (roue)]] [[bg:Съд]] [[cs:Soud]] [[cy:Llys (cyfraith)]] [[da:Domstol]] [[de:Gericht]] [[et:Kohus]] [[el:Δικαστήριο]] [[es:Tribunal de justicia]] [[eo:Tribunalo (juro)]] [[fr:Tribunal]] [[fy:Rjochtbank]] [[gl:Tribunal]] [[ko:법원]] [[hr:Sud]] [[id:Pengadilan]] [[it:Tribunale]] [[he:בית משפט]] [[sw:Mahakama]] [[lo:ສານ]] [[lt:Teismas]] [[hu:Bíróság]] [[mk:Суд]] [[nl:Rechtbank]] [[ne:अदालत]] [[ja:裁判所]] [[no:Domstol]] [[nn:Domstol]] [[oc:Tribunal]] [[pl:Sąd]] [[pt:Tribunal]] [[qu:Taripay suntur]] [[ru:Суд]] [[simple:Court]] [[sk:Súd]] [[sl:Sodišče]] [[sr:Суд]] [[sh:Sud]] [[fi:Tuomioistuin]] [[sv:Domstol]] [[th:ศาล]] [[vi:Tòa án]] [[chr:ᏧᎾᏓᏱᎵᏓᏍᏗ]] [[tr:Mahkeme]] [[uk:Суд]] [[yi:געריכט]] [[zh:法院]]