In the state of Missouri the court systems are divided by civil courts, criminal
courts, and federal courts. The Federal courts are a part of the federal system and not a
part of the state court system. The court is divided into three levels, the trial court, the
Appellate court and the Supreme Court. The trial court can take place in specialized
courts or municipal courts. The state of Alabama is structured much in the same way
however it is slightly more complex; there are federal courts that are not a part of the
state system as well. There are also different levels of courts in the state of Alabama, but
they are also divided. There are three appeals courts, the Supreme Court, the court of
civil appeals and the court of criminal appeals. In addition, there are four trial courts,
the circuit, the district, probate and municipal courts. Different levels of cases are
handled in the various courts. The names of the courts are the similar. The civil courts
handle issues such as lawsuits and child custody and child support while the municipal,
district, and circuit courts handle criminal trials.
In Missouri judges are selected by a popular vote by the people. The candidates
have to choose a party and run on a ballot. The terms range from four years to twelve
years depending on the court and there is a mandatory retirement age of seventy.
While Alabama also elects their judges for trial and appellate courts, if a judge vacates
the seat midterm, the governor selects the replacement. The election for Supreme
Court is a popular vote but the circuit court and court of criminal appeals if by peer
vote and the seniority position gets the court of civil appeals bench. Terms for appeals
and trial courts in Alabama vary from 3 years to indefinite for Supreme Court Justices.
There is also a mandatory retirement age of seventy in Alabama as well. The length of
terms is very different from Missouri since Missouri does not have any indefinite spaces
available but the indefinite nature of the court of criminal and civil appeals in Alabama
lets justices stay on the bench for many years.
The court system in Alabama is much more complicated and complex than the
one in Missouri with different rules for each type of bench. In Missouri the system is much
easier to figure out and it is more standardized across different types of courts.