The courts of appeals are often referred to as circuit courts. If a party is dissatisfied with the result from one of circuit courts, the party may seek review by the Supreme Court. In most instances, however, the Supreme Court will review only cases that it chooses. State Courts State courts have authority to hear cases that are not explicitly reserved for federal courts. Each state system has its own court structure and names for each court.
Many state courts have four levels.
The first level includes courts of limited jurisdiction, such as municipal courts, that may handle traffic or small claims matters. The second level includes courts of general jurisdiction, such as a superior court, which hear the bulk of criminal and civil cases. Typically, most cases start out in one of these first two levels. The third level of a state court system may be called the court of appeals. These courts hear appeals from the state trial courts.