The Delaware Court of Common Pleas are
state courts of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
.
The Delaware Court of Common Pleas are
trial court
A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...
s and inferior courts of
limited jurisdiction. It has
criminal jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
J ...
throughout the state over all
misdemeanors, except certain drug offenses, and
motor vehicle offenses (see
traffic court). The Court of Common Pleas also holds
preliminary hearings in
felony
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...
cases,
In
civil
Civil may refer to:
*Civic virtue, or civility
*Civil action, or lawsuit
* Civil affairs
*Civil and political rights
*Civil disobedience
*Civil engineering
*Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism
*Civilian, someone not a membe ...
matters, Court of Common Pleas tries
lawsuits in which the
amount in controversy
Amount in controversy (sometimes called jurisdictional amount) is a term used in civil procedure to denote the amount at stake in a lawsuit, in particular in connection with a requirement that persons seeking to bring a lawsuit in a particular cour ...
does not exceed $50,000 (
small claims), petitions for
name change, habitual offender hearings on the privilege of operating a motor vehicle, and
administrative appeals from the
Division of Motor Vehicles. The Court of Common Plea also has
appellate jurisdiction of criminal matters from Alderman's Courts and criminal and civil matters from the Justice of the Peace Courts.
The
Superior Court of Delaware is the court of
general jurisdiction
{{Globalize, article, USA, 2name=the United States, date=December 2010
A court of general jurisdiction is a court with authority to hear cases of all kinds – criminal, civil, family, probate, and so forth.
United States
All federal courts ar ...
in Delaware. It has
original jurisdiction
In common law legal systems original jurisdiction of a court is the power to hear a case for the first time, as opposed to appellate jurisdiction, when a higher court has the power to review a lower court's decision.
India
In India, the S ...
in all felony cases and civil suits in which the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000. Appeals from the Court of Common Pleas generally go to the Superior Court.
The Court currently consists of nine judges sitting in
Delaware's three counties: Five in
New Castle County, two in
Kent County, and two in
Sussex County. The Court has three problem-solving court divisions: A
Drug Diversion Program, a Community Dispute Resolution Program, and a
Mental Health Court.
External links
Official website
{{Delaware-stub
Delaware state courts
Courts and tribunals with year of establishment missing