North Carolina Superior Court

The Superior Court is North Carolina’s general jurisdiction trial court. It has jurisdiction over all felony cases, cases involving over $10,000, and appeals of misdemeanor and infraction cases from the North Carolina District Courts.[1]

The Superior Courts are divided into 8 divisions and further into 46 districts. Judges rotate from district to district within their division every six months in order to avoid the danger of corruption or favoritism between a permanent judge and a single community.[1]

History

The Superior Court is the state's oldest court, having been established in 1777. The first three judges elected by the North Carolina General Assembly were Samuel Ashe of New Hanover County, Samuel Spencer of Anson County, and future U.S. Supreme Court Justice James Iredell of Chowan County. Until the creation of a separate North Carolina Supreme Court in 1818, Superior Court judges sitting together functioned as the state's only appellate court.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Superior Court". North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  2. ↑ "History of the Superior Court Judges of North Carolina" (PDF). North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. Retrieved 13 February 2012.