Kentucky Court Information, Location and Rules

In keeping with the legal system that is closely followed all over the U.S., the courts located at Kentucky also have a well-structured and systematic hierarchy. At the top there is the Supreme Court of the state, below which there is the Appeals Court, and this is followed by Circuit Courts in 57 circuits of the state. At the lowest rung of the ladder are the District Courts, which you will find in sixty judicial districts.

Supreme Court

This court came into being in 1975 when the constitution was amended. Before this happened, the Appeals Court was the highest legal body in the state. Propagating the Rules of Evidence and the Rules of Court, the Supreme Court handles cases where there is a life sentence or death sentence directly, and these cases do not go to the Appeals Court in the state. There can be other appeals too that this court can handle bypassing the Appeals Court, but this is done on discretion.

The Supreme Court is based at Frankfort on the 2nd floor of the Capitol building.

The Appeals Court

The judges in this court have to be elected from the districts. There are 14 judges in the state and out of them, the members select one person to work as the Chief Judge for a term of 4 years. Cases heard in this court are from the Circuit Courts in Kentucky. Those cases where there is a death sentence or sentence of imprisonment for at least 20 years go directly to the Supreme Court from the Circuit Courts. In some cases, original actions can be filed in the Appeals Court.

Circuit Courts

The Circuit Courts are the original jurisdiction trial courts in the state. Cases involving land disputes, probate for wills when they are contested, felonies, capital offenses and civil lawsuits that claim damages less than $4,000 are decided here. These courts have the jurisdiction to issue prohibition and mandamus writs, injunctions and hear administrative agency appeals. Appeals from District Courts are also heard at the Circuit Courts of Kentucky.

These courts have a Family Court division that deal with matters of marriage and divorce, visitation rights, child custody, property distribution, support and alimony and others.

District Courts

The District Courts make up the lowest level judicial body in the state. These are limited jurisdiction trial courts that deal with traffic offenses, juvenile matters, domestic violence, probate, ordinance violations, small claims, preliminary hearings of felony charges and civil matters where the amount involved is equal to or less than $4,000.

How to Find Legal Information on any Court in Kentucky

While the provision of timely and fair justice forms the primary function of any Kentucky court, you can also access any information or most of the court records from the authorities as well. The state legal system has arranged for electronic access to court information for this purpose. The official website of Kentucky courts is

http://courts.ky.gov

.

Both the Supreme Court of Kentucky as well as the other courts are bound by regulations. For example, the courts are legally bound to provide judicial opinions as well as legal briefs to contesting individuals and/or parties. The state laws also arrange for the VINE (Victim Information and Notification Everyday) Court Services system.

The legal authorities in the State of Kentucky can be contacted over the phone for this service at 502-573-2350. The Administrative Office of the Courts is located at 100 Mill Creek Park, Frankfurt, KY 40601. At the administrative office, you need to get in touch with the relevant department to satisfy your requirements.