The cases can be civil or criminal. State courts handle nearly every type of case, subject to certain jurisdictional limits. State courts handle most criminal matters, family law matters such as marital disputes, real estate transactions, and contract disputes. Federal and state court systems also have certain specialized courts. For example, the federal court system has bankruptcy and tax courts.
Many states have specialized traffic, family, probate, or small claims courts.
Federal courts are divided into three levels. District Courts are the first level where a federal case is heard. Depending on its size, a state may have one or more Federal District Courts. Utah has one Federal District Court. If one of the parties is not satisfied with the result from a District Court, that party may appeal to a second level court, one of the courts of appeals.