LEC备考学习| 美国州法院体系简介（双语）1

Trial courts are exactly what their name implies, courts in which trials are held and testimony taken. State trial courts have either general or limited jurisdiction. Trial courts that have general jurisdiction as to subject matter may be called county, district, superior, or circuit courts.

初审法院正如其名称所述，是进行审判和采集证据的法院。州初审法院有普遍管辖权和有限司法管辖权之分。拥有普遍管辖权的初审法院就受理的诉讼标的之不同分别叫做郡县法院、地区法院、高级法院和巡回法院。

The jurisdiction of these courts is often determined by the size of the county in which the courts sit. State trial courts of general jurisdiction have jurisdiction over a wide variety of subjects, including both civil disputes and criminal prosecutions. In some cases, trial courts of general jurisdiction may hear appeals from courts of limited jurisdiction.

这些法院所拥有的司法管辖权范围是该法院所在郡县的大小来决定的。具有普遍管辖权的州初审法院对各种事物都有管辖权，包括民事争议和刑事指控。在某些案件中，具有普遍管辖权的州法院可以受理具有有限司法管辖权法院的上诉案件。

Some courts of limited jurisdiction are called special inferior trial courts or minor judiciary courts. Small claims courts are inferior trial courts that hear only civil cases involving claims of less than a certain amount, such as $5,000 (the amount varies from state to state). Suits brought in small claims courts are generally conducted informally, and lawyers are not even allowed to represent peoples in small claims courts for most purposes. Another example of an inferior trial court is a local municipal court that hears mainly traffic cases. Decisions of small claims courts and municipal courts may be appealed to a state trial court of general jurisdiction.

一些有限管辖权的法院被称为特殊低级审判法院或次级法院。小额索偿法院是低级审判法院，只审理涉及索偿金额少于一定数额(如$5,000)的民事案件，该数额因各州规定而异。小额索赔法院受理的诉讼案通常都采用的是非正式审理，并且在许多事项上，甚至不允许律师代表出庭。低级审判法院的另一种形式是主要负责处理交通案件的地方市级法院。小额索赔法院和市级法院的判决可以上诉至具有普遍管辖权的州初审法院。

Other courts of limited jurisdiction as to subject matter include domestic relations courts, which handle only divorce actions and child-custody cases, and probate courts.

另外，根据诉讼事项的不同，其他有限司法管辖权的法院包括只处理离婚诉讼和子女监护权案件的家庭关系法院，以及遗产检验法院。