Indiana Court Information, Location and Rules

The Indiana court system is clearly divided according to a well-defined hierarchy where there are different levels. While some courts have general jurisdiction in the state, there are appellate courts too which you could approach in case you are not happy with the judgment passed by a lower court. The legal system prevalent in Indiana also stands out on another count. Here, the courts offer pro bono services to many people who belong to the lower income groups.

Obtaining Legal Help from the Courts of Indiana

Do you have a question about the legal system in the state? Are you not sure about which court to approach when you have a legal question at hand? Do you need some information before you can file your case?

All the issues and questions that you might have can be answered at the main website of the Indiana court system. You will need to visit

http://www.in.gov/judiciary

for this.

To contact the personnel at the Indiana Supreme court, you need to contact the Public Information Officer. The Supreme Court is housed at 315 Indiana State House, Indianapolis, IN 46204. You can also call them at 317.232.1930. Or, you could approach the clerk’s office at the court for any help that you might need.

As mentioned above, the Indiana court structure is divided in a systematic hierarchical structure. At the highest rung is the Supreme Court of the state. This is followed by the Court of Appeals, the tax courts, the Circuit and Superior courts, and other lower level courts (in the different towns and cities of Indiana). There are County courts as well in the state.

Rules Followed by the Indiana Courts

There exists a set pattern of laws, regulations and jurisdictions which all the courts of Indiana are bound to follow while passing judgment on any particular case. The courts of the state thus have options for hearing the proceedings of both civil cases as well as criminal cases.

The different rules that govern the functioning of the different courts of Indiana can be listed in the following manner:

a)    administrative laws
b)    disciplinary and admission-related laws
c)    child support systems
d)    regulations regarding the appellate procedure
e)    Original Actions regulations
f)    Specifications on parenting time
g)    Small Claims rules
h)    Trial procedures (including de novo cases)

Cases related to domestic legal disputes are settled in the family courts of the state. The separate Family Law Codes are followed in those cases.

The courts also reserve the right to appoint separate commissions and councils, which is done from time to time. Examples of these are the Judicial Qualifications Commission, the Indiana Disciplinary Commission, the Board of Law Examiners and the Indiana Judicial Center.

If you are in need of emergency legal help from the courts, you should ideally utilize the online resources that these legal entities have to offer. Once you become more familiar with the court systems, you will find the steps of legal proceedings become clearer to you.