Answer/Explanation:
- Civil cases are cases that involve handling disputes that occur between an individual and another individual, or between two organizations. On the other hand, criminal cases involve cases of crime or offenses considered to be detrimental to the state or general public.
- Examples of civil cases are cases of defamation of character, while examples of criminal cases include murder, robbery, etc.
The state court system generally consists of 4 tiers, which are:
1. The minor courts: they handle minor cases such as traffic offenses in local districts and other civil matters
2. The major courts: which handle cases that has to do with the statutes or constitution of the state, and handle cases like murder etc.
3. Intermediate appellate courts: which function mainly in reviewing cases that has already been decided on by the lower trial courts, to ascertain if correct judgment have been passed or if the law was rightly applied by the lower court. Parties who are not satisfied with the judgment of the lower court can proceed to the intermediate appellate courts for review of the case.
4. State supreme courts: they are the highest court in a state. They deal with the review of state laws, and their judgement is final on issues that has to deal with the law and constitution of a state.
- In cases involving a jury, the role of the judge is to declare judgement according to the law, while the jury basically, pass unanimous verdict as to whether a person is guilty or not guilty, liable or not liable, depending on which case that is being considered, this they do based on facts. The judge presides over the court case, and also guides the jury on what the law states.