The Courts of Broker is the collective name for the judicial branch of the state of Broker. The judicial branch, however, does not only consist of courts, but supporting agencies as well. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the leader of the judicial branch, however, has very little say over issues in the Superior Court or agencies which have executive purposes. The current Chief Justice is Preston McDonald, appointed by Governor Stanley Morris in 2010.
Superior Court[]
The Superior Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in Broker. Each county and independent municipality must have a Superior Court, regardless of other courts located there. Each Superior Court is led by a Chief Judge (not to be confused by the Chief Justice), and employs judges based on the population of the jurisdiction. For example, the Statesport Superior Court, the largest general trial court in the country, employs over 5,000 employees. Each Superior Court follows the same structure, where each one must have three mandatory divisions, namely the Civil Division, which handles civil cases, the Criminal Division, which handles felonies and misdemeanors, and the Appeals Division, which hears appeals from the Criminal Division.
Supreme Court[]
The Supreme Court is the highest court and final court of appeal in the state. Despite being the "final" court of appeal, the District Courts of Atlion still supercede the state court system, thus appeals to the federal judiciary is possible. The Supreme Court is led by the Chief Justice and four other associate justices. The Court is based out of the Cole Edwards Donnelly Building in the capital, Port James.
Executive and supporting agencies[]
The following agencies were created to support the judicial branch, some by the Constitution of Broker, and others by the other two branches of government. The other branches, being the Broker State Legislature, and the executive (the Governor's office, the cabinet, and executive agencies), do however have no control over these agencies. A list of them follows:
- Office of Judicial Administration: The OJA provides a wide range of administrative, legal, financial, management, program, and information technology services to the courts.
- Sheriff's Office: The courts' sheriff's office provides direct law enforcement within court settings. These peace officers are known as bailiffs.
See also[]
- Preston McDonald
- Government and politics of Broker
- Courts of Atlion