Skip
Navigation

Judicial Branch


United States Supreme Court
Current Justices: Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Stephen G. Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Neil M. Gorsuch, Elena Kagan, John G. Roberts, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Clarence Thomas

West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
The state's highest judicial body has the administrative responsibility and rule-making power over all the state courts and establishes and enforces a Judicial Code of Ethics and a Code of Justices, Judges, and Magistrates. The Supreme Court has appellate jurisdiction (power to review) in both civil and criminal cases as well as original jurisdiction in certain cases.

List of Supreme Court Justices
Supreme Court of Appeals Collection

Circuit Courts
Circuit courts have jurisdiction over all civil matters, either original or on appeal, which involve an amount over $2,500, and major criminal (felony) cases. The Circuit Court may also hear misdemeanor cases originally or on appeal.

Magistrate Courts
A less formal, inexpensive way to handle legal cases than the circuit courts. Magistrate courts hear civil cases (cases involving private or individual rights) dealing with amounts of $3,000 or less and misdemeanor cases. Magistrate courts may issue arrest and search warrants.

Family Courts
Family court judges hear cases involving divorce, annulment, separate maintenance, paternity, grandparent visitation, final hearings in domestic violence civil proceedings, and family support proceedings, except child abuse and neglect.


Government and Politics

West Virginia Archives and History