Media Alert
Colorado Judicial Branch
Mary J. Mullarkey, Chief Justice
Gerald Marroney, State Court Administrator
May 23, 2005
Contact: Karen Salaz
303/837-3633
1-800-888-0001 Ext. 633
www.courts.state.co.us
Colorado and federal court structures
Supreme Court of Colorado
7 justices – 10 year terms, Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, Justices Rebecca Kourlis,
Gregory Hobbs, Alex Martinez, Michael Bender, Nancy Rice, Nathan Ben Coats.
Court of last resort in Colorado’s judicial system, hears appeals primarily from Court
of Appeals, most cases are accepted at the court’s discretion, hears direct appeals in
cases involving constitutionality of a statute, death penalty, decisions of the PUC,
writs of habeas corpus, decisions of water courts, proceedings under the election code
and prosecutorial appeals concerning search and seizure questions in pending cases.
Colorado Court of Appeals
16 judges – 8 year terms, Court sits in panels of three judges, hears appeals
from Colorado District Courts and Denver’s Juvenile and Probate Courts, also
reviews decisions of several state administrative agencies.
Colorado District Courts
22 judicial districts, each served by a district
court with one or more judges, total – 132
judges with 6-year terms, hold trials concerning
felony criminal matters, civil claims in any
amount, juvenile matters, probate (estate)
matters, mental health and divorce.
Water Courts
7 divisions plus 5 groundwater
basins; district judges assigned to
water courts hear cases involving
water rights and water disputes.
County Courts
64 county courts, 118 judges with 4-year terms, handle domestic violence
restraining orders, misdemeanor criminal offences, traffic offences, small
claims, civil cases under $15,000.
Municipal Courts (not part of state system)
Many towns and cities have municipal (city) courts which deal with violations and disputes
over city ordinances like barking dogs, noise violations and zoning.
Denver Courts
Denver District Court – 2nd Judicial District
Felony criminal matters, civil suits in any amount
Denver Juvenile Court
Delinquency petitions, dependency and neglect
actions, termination of parental rights,
other juvenile issues.
Denver Probate Court
Disputes involving the administration of
estates, mental health issues, appointment
of guardians, governance of trusts.
*Only Denver has separate Juvenile and Probate Courts, elsewhere those functions are served by District Courts.
Denver County Courts (not a part of the state court system)
Denver is both a city and county so county courts function as both municipal and county courts.
Jurisdiction includes civil cases under $15,000, misdemeanors, traffic offences, restraining orders,
city ordinance violations and small claims.
Courts of the United States of America
United States Supreme Court
9 justices, appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, has complete discretion over
cases it hears; hears mostly appeals from the U.S. Court of Appeals, also federal question issues from
state Supreme Courts, on rare occasions reviews decisions of U.S. District Courts, has original
jurisdiction over cases involving two or more states such as interstate water compacts.
United States Circuit Court of Appeal
13 Circuit Courts of Appeal, 12 regional circuits and the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., courts
hear only appeals from U.S. District Courts and some administrative agencies.
United States District Courts
94 federal judicial districts, at least one in each state plus D.C., Puerto
Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, general trial court
of the federal system – hear federal question cases: suits between states,
cases involving ambassadors and other public officials, federal crimes,
bankruptcy, patent, copyright, and trademark cases, admiralty cases, antitrust cases, securities and banking regulations, other cases involving
federal statutes and diversity of citizenship cases involving more than
$75,000 (parties in the case are all from different states).
United States Court of Claims
Handles claims for money damages against U.S., disputes over federal contracts, unlawful
“takings” of private property by the federal government and other claims against the U.S.
United States Court of International Trade
Handles cases involving disputes over international trade agreements, tariffs and other trade disputes.
Special Courts Created by Congress
U.S. Tax Court – handles cases involving tax payments
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces – handles military cases, appeals from court martials
U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims – cases involving denial of veterans’ benefits
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) – grants warrants for wire-tapping, intelligence cases
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