North Carolina District Courts
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The North Carolina district courts are courts at the trial level in North Carolina. According to the court website, the court tries cases involving civil, criminal, juvenile, and magistrate matters.[1]
The district courts are split into 43 districts across the state. There is a district court in the county seat of each county.[1]
Judicial districts
District court map
The map below shows each of the judicial districts by county.
Court restructuring
2023
Changes
In 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 259, revising the state superior court, district court, and prosecutorial districts. The table below highlights the changes the bill made.[2]
| Changes to North Carolina superior and district courts | |
|---|---|
| Court | Changes |
| Superior court | Realigned the superior court districts Increased the number of superior court judges to 101 |
| District court | Realigned the district courts districts Increased the number of district court judges to 289 |
Timeline
Below is a brief timeline of the bill:
- October 3, 2023: House Bill (HB) 259 became session law 2023-134 without the governor's signature.
- September 22, 2023: HB 259 ratified and presented to Gov. Roy Cooper (D).
- May 18, 2023: The state Senate approved HB 259.
- April 6, 2023: The state House passed HB 259.[3]
2018
Changes
In 2018, the North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 717, revising the state superior court, district court, and prosecutorial districts. The table below highlights the changes the bill made.[4]
| Changes to North Carolina superior and district courts | |
|---|---|
| Court | Changes |
| Superior court | Decreased superior court judicial divisions from eight to five Created superior court districts Increased the number of superior court judges from 92 to 99 |
| District court | Redistributed the district courts across counties Increased the number of district court judges by one |
Timeline
Below is a brief timeline of the bill:
- June 28, 2018:
- House Bill (HB) 717 became session law 2018-121.
- The North Carolina State Senate overrode the governor's veto, 30-16.
- June 27, 2018: The North Carolina House of Representatives overrode the governor's veto, 75-45.
- June 25, 2018: Gov. Roy Cooper (D) vetoed the legislation.
- June 6, 2018: The state Senate approved HB 717.
- October 5, 2017: The state House passed HB 717.[5]
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- North Carolina Judicial Branch
- North Carolina District Court
- North Carolina court structure from the Court Statistics Project
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The North Carolina Judicial Branch, "District Court," accessed March 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "Session Law 2023-134, House Bill 259," accessed February 23, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "House Bill 257 / SL 2023-134," accessed September 4, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "Session Law 2018-121, House Bill 717," accessed August 30, 2019
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "House Bill 717 / SL 2018-121," accessed August 30, 2019
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Federal courts:
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina
State courts:
Supreme Court of North Carolina • North Carolina Court of Appeals • North Carolina Superior Courts • North Carolina District Courts
State resources:
Courts in North Carolina • North Carolina judicial elections • Judicial selection in North Carolina