Kentucky Court System, Jurisdiction, and Court Procedure
Four levels, one unified court
Kentucky's 1975 Judicial Article created a unified Court of Justice: Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, District Court. Knowing which court a proceeding sits in determines the caption, the routing of the transcript, and who may order it.
- Supreme Court: seven justices elected from seven appellate districts for eight-year terms; largely discretionary review, with death-penalty appeals going directly to it. It also promulgates the Civil Rules, Criminal Rules, and Rules of Evidence.
- Court of Appeals: fourteen judges from seven districts, sitting in three-judge panels for eight-year terms; hears appeals as of right from circuit court and from administrative agencies.
- Circuit Court: fifty-seven circuits; general jurisdiction - felonies, civil claims above the district limit, family court divisions, and appeals from district court.
- District Court: sixty districts; misdemeanors, felony preliminary hearings, probate, juvenile, domestic violence orders, small claims, and civil claims up to $5,000.
Why a reporter needs this
Caption format, filing court, and the title of the proceeding all derive from the court and the nature of the hearing. A deposition caption names the action's circuit and case number but no judge.
Worked example
A $9,000 contract claim filed in district court is subject to dismissal for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction; it belongs in circuit court. The same dispute pursued as a small claim (statutory cap, informal procedure) stays in district court, where no verbatim record exists unless a party arranges and pays for one.
Traps
Confusing circuit and district jurisdiction; assuming every appeal is discretionary; forgetting that family court is a division of circuit court rather than a separate court; captioning a deposition as though a judge presided.