COURT, in law, a tribunal of justice; the hall, chamber, or place where justice is administered, or the persons (judges) assembled for hearing and deciding causes, civil, criminal, military, naval, or ecclesiastical. Courts may be classified in various ways. A common distinction is into courts of record and not of record; the first being those the judicial proceed ings of which are enrolled in records. They may also be divided into courts of original jurisdiction, inferior, and su perior courts. In the United States the courts of law are either Federal or State. Federal courts derive their authority from the National Government. They comprise the Supreme Court of the United States, and the District Courts of the United States. The latter in 1911 as sumed the work of Circuit Courts, abol ished in that year. Other courts existing under the National Government are the United States Circuit Courts of Appeals, the United States Court of Claims, the United States Court of Custom Appeals, and various local tribunals for the Dis trict of Columbia.
The State courts derive their authority from the several State constitutions. They consist usually of a Supreme Court or Court of Appeals, and of local crim inal and civil courts for the various coun ties. Speaking generally, Federal courts
have jurisdiction in cases involving the laws of the United States; State courts have jurisdiction in cases involving State laws.
Courts in England derive their author ity from royal or parliamentary enact ment. They are designated, according to their jurisdiction, as "King's Bench Division," "Chancery Division," "Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division," "Court of Appeals," and the like. There are also the terms of court held by the Lord High Chancellor, the Lord Chief-Justice of Eng land, the Master of the Rolls, the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, and the various county courts. The highest legal tribu nal in England is the House of Lords when sitting as a court of appeal.
In France the courts exist in accord ance with the provisions of the code Napoleon. At their head is the Court of Cassation. In Germany there are fed eral courts and courts of the various Ger man states. The Latin countries organ ize their courts to some extent upon the French model, except that in Spain, Portugal, and most South American countries the Roman Catholic priesthood have their own courts and cannot be held amenable to the ordinary tribunals.