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Intermediate appellate courts

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State courts

The intermediate appellate courts serve as an intermediate step between the trial courts and the courts of last resort in a state. Forty-two out of the 50 states have at least one intermediate appellate court. Their jurisdiction varies from state to state, but in most cases they serve to relieve the workload of the state's highest court.[1]

Some states have more than one of these types of courts, such as Alabama, which has one intermediate appellate court for civil matters and another for criminal. Pennsylvania's superior court and a commonwealth court are both appellate courts but have different jurisdictions. Other states, such as Illinois and California, have multiple divisions with varying degrees of independence from each other.

List of state intermediate appellate courts

Court Established Number of judges Method of selection Term length
Alabama Court of Civil Appeals 1969 5 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals 1969 5 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Alaska Court of Appeals 1980 4 Assisted appointment 8 years
Arizona Court of Appeals 1965 22 Assisted appointment 6 years
Arkansas Court of Appeals 1978 12 Nonpartisan election of judges 8 years
California Fifth District Court of Appeal 1905 10 Gubernatorial appointment 12 years
California First District Court of Appeal 1905 20 Gubernatorial appointment 12 years
California Fourth District Court of Appeal 1905 26 Gubernatorial appointment 12 years
California Second District Court of Appeal 1905 32 Gubernatorial appointment 12 years
California Sixth District Court of Appeal 1905 7 Gubernatorial appointment 12 years
California Third District Court of Appeal 1905 11 Gubernatorial appointment 12 years
Colorado Court of Appeals 1891, 1970[2] 22 Assisted appointment 8 years
Connecticut Appellate Court 1982 9 Assisted appointment with legislative confirmation 8 years
Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal 1957 12 Assisted appointment 6 years
Florida First District Court of Appeal 1957 13 Assisted appointment 6 years
Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal 1957 12 Assisted appointment 6 years
Florida Second District Court of Appeal 1957 15 Assisted appointment 6 years
Florida Sixth District Court of Appeal 2023 9 Assisted appointment 6 years
Florida Third District Court of Appeal 1957 10 Assisted appointment 6 years
Georgia Court of Appeals 1906 15 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals 1959 7 Assisted appointment with Senate confirmation 10 years
Idaho Court of Appeals 1980 4 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court 1964[3] 7 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Illinois First District Appellate Court 1877 24 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court 1877[4] 7 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Illinois Second District Appellate Court 1877[5] 9 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Illinois Third District Appellate Court 1877[6] 7 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Indiana Court of Appeals 1891 15 Assisted appointment 10 years
Iowa Court of Appeals 9 Assisted appointment 6 years
Kansas Court of Appeals 14 Assisted appointment 4 years
Kentucky Court of Appeals 14 Nonpartisan election of judges 8 years
Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal 1981 8 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal 1879 12 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal 1879 12 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal 1879 9 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal 1879 12 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Massachusetts Appeals Court 25 Assisted appointment with approval of Governor's Council Until age 70
Michigan Court of Appeals 1963 24 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
Minnesota Court of Appeals 1983 19 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
Mississippi Court of Appeals 1995 10 Nonpartisan election of judges 8 years
Missouri Court of Appeals 32 Assisted appointment 12 years
Nebraska Court of Appeals 1991 6 Assisted appointment 6 years
Nevada Court of Appeals 2014 3 Nonpartisan election 6 years
New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division 27[7] Gubernatorial appointment with Senate confirmation Initial term of 7 years; until age 70 upon reappointment
New Mexico Court of Appeals 10 Partisan election of judges 8 years
New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division 60 Commission-selection, political appointment 5 years, or end of
supreme court term
North Carolina Court of Appeals 15 Partisan election of judges 8 years
North Dakota Court of Appeals 1987 3 Temporarily appointed in panels Up to 1 year
Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals 12 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals 5 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals 6 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio First District Court of Appeals 6 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Fourth District Court of Appeals 4 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Ninth District Court of Appeals 5 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Second District Court of Appeals 5 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals 4 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals 5 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals 8 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Third District Court of Appeals 4 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals 5 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals 1968 12 Assisted appointment 6 years
Oregon Court of Appeals 1969 13 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court 1968 9 Partisan election of judges 10 years
Pennsylvania Superior Court 1895 15 Partisan election of judges 10 years
South Carolina Court of Appeals 1983 9 Legislative elections 6 years
Tennessee Court of Appeals 1925 12 Assisted appointment 8 years
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals 12 Assisted appointment 8 years
Texas Eighth District Court of Appeals 3 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Eleventh District Court of Appeals 3 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Fifteenth District Court of Appeals 2024 3 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals 13 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas First District Court of Appeals 9 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Fourteenth District Court of Appeals 9 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Fourth District Court of Appeals 7 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Ninth District Court of Appeals 4 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Second District Court of Appeals 7 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Seventh District Court of Appeals 4 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Sixth District Court of Appeals 3 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Tenth District Court of Appeals 3 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Third District Court of Appeals 6 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Thirteenth District Court of Appeals 6 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Texas Twelfth District Court of Appeals 3 Partisan election of judges 6 years
Utah Court of Appeals 1987 7 Assisted appointment 6 years
Virginia Court of Appeals 1985 17 Legislative election of judges 8 years
Washington Court of Appeals 22 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals 2021 3 Nonpartisan election 10 years
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District I 1978 4 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District II 1978 4 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District III 1978 3 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years
Wisconsin Court of Appeals District IV 1978 5 Nonpartisan election of judges 6 years

States without intermediate appellate courts

The following states do not have an intermediate appellate court:

The District of Columbia also does not have such a court.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ State Justice Institute, "The Role of State Intermediate Appellate Courts," November 2012
  2. ↑ The Colorado Court of Appeals was first established in 1891, but was abolished and re-established up to 1970, when it was established in its current form.
  3. ↑ Four Illinois appellate court districts were founded in 1877, but they were reorganized into five districts in 1964. See: Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, "History of the Illinois Courts," accessed July 8, 2014
  4. ↑ Four Illinois appellate court districts were founded in 1877, but they were reorganized into five districts in 1964. See: Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, "History of the Illinois Courts," accessed July 8, 2014
  5. ↑ Four Illinois appellate court districts were founded in 1877, but they were reorganized into five districts in 1964. See: Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, "History of the Illinois Courts," accessed July 8, 2014
  6. ↑ Four Illinois appellate court districts were founded in 1877, but they were reorganized into five districts in 1964. See: Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, "History of the Illinois Courts," accessed July 8, 2014
  7. ↑ New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division, "APPELLATE DIVISION 2021-2022 COURT TERM," accessed July 1, 2022
  8. ↑ *The Superior Court of Delaware acts as both a trial and intermediate appellate court.
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State intermediate appellate courts
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