VA Circuit Courts
misdemeanor
VA General District Courts
jury
appeal
VA Court of Appeals
verdict
VA Supreme Court
felony
serious crime such as murder or burglary; commonly punished by imprisonment for more than a year
ONLY hears appeals from the lower courts (District and Circuit)
application to a higher court for a reversal of the decision of a lower court.
a body of people (typically twelve in number) sworn to give a verdict in a legal case on the basis of evidence submitted to them in court
a formal judgment
the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative law cases that are initially appealed to the Court of Appeals of Virginia.
The state trial courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases. In criminal matters, trial courts for all felony charges. The Circuit Courts also hear appeals from Virginia General District Courts
the lowest level of the Virginia court system, and is the court that most Virginians have contact with. The jurisdiction of the GDC is generally limited to traffic cases and other misdemeanors Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts
minor crime; less serious than a felony
