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9.2: Types of Law and Jurisdiction

  • Page ID
    189511
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    Learning Objectives

    By the end of this section, you will be able to:

    • Discuss the different types of law
    • Discuss the different types of jurisdiction

    Types of Law

    There are two basic types of law in any legal system- Civil and Criminal. Below is a table differentiating the two:

    image

    Types of Jurisdictions

    Every court system has jurisdiction over certain cases, from enforcing traffic laws to hearing capital murder charges. There are three types of jurisdictions:

    1. Original Jurisdiction– the court that gets to hear the case first. For example Municipal courts typically have original jurisdiction over traffic offenses the occur within city limits.
    2. Appellate Jurisdiction– the power for a higher court to review a lower courts decision. For example, the Texas Court of Appeals has appellate jurisdiction over the District Courts (See the hierarchy of Texas Court Structure in this Unit).
    3. Exclusive Jurisdiction– only that court can hear a specific case. For example only the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Court can hear appeals for death penalty sentences.

    Contributors and Attributions

    CC licensed content, Original
    • Jurisdiction, Types of Law, and the Selection of Judges. Authored by: Daniel M. Regalado. License: CC BY: Attribution

    This page titled 9.2: Types of Law and Jurisdiction is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lumen Learning.

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