Trial court
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A trial court or court of first instance is a
In the trial court,
In the United States
In the United States, a trial court of
Not all cases are heard in trial courts of general jurisdiction. A trial court of
Because different U.S. states apply different names to their courts, it is often not evident whether a court has general or limited jurisdiction or indeed is a trial court at all. For instance, the Maine District Court is a court of limited jurisdiction, but the Nevada District Courts are courts of general jurisdiction. This can even occur in neighboring states; the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas are courts of general jurisdiction, but the Delaware Court of Common Pleas is a court of limited jurisdiction. Similarly, the California Superior Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction, but the Superior Court of Pennsylvania is an appellate court, and the New Jersey Superior Court is both.