STATE COURTS 

I.          State courts have changed since colonial days
    A.        Colonial courts
    B.        Early American courts
    C.        Courts in a modern society 

II.        States have two types of trial courts
    A.                 Trial courts of limited jurisdiction
    B.                 Trial courts of general jurisdiction

III.       Federal courts and state courts hear two types of cases
    A.                 Criminal cases
    B.                 Civil cases

IV.       State intermediate courts of appeals hear appeals from trial courts
    A.                 Regional vs. statewide
    B.                 Some courts hear both criminal and civil cases, while some states have a bifurcated system

V.        Every state has a court of last resort
    A.        Criminal/civil vs. bifurcated system
    B.        Docket discretion varies between states

VI.       Numerous calls for state court reform
    A.                 Court unification was an important principle for reformers.
        1.                  Simplified court structure
        2.                  Centralized administration
        3.                  Centralized rule making
        4.                  Centralized judicial budgeting
        5.                  Statewide financing
    B.                 Specialized courts
        1.                  Therapeutic jurisprudence
            a.                  Immediate intervention
            b.                  Non-adversarial adjudication
            c.                   Hands-on judicial involvement
            d.                  Treatment programs with clear rules and structured goals
            e.                  A team approach of judge, prosecutors, defense counsel, treatment provider and correctional staff
        2.                  Drug Courts

VII.     Political and case flow consequences of court organization
    A.                 Push for unification has receded
    B.                 Reform threatens local control and local corruption