The Delaware Judiciary is composed of the Supreme Court, the Court of Chancery, the Superior Court, the Family Court, the Court of Common Pleas, the Justice of the Peace Court, and related judicial agencies.

In terms of interrelationships among the courts, the Delaware Court system is similar to a pyramid. The Justice of the Peace Court and the Alderman's Courts represent the base of the pyramid and the Supreme Court the apex of the pyramid. As a litigant goes upward through the court system pyramid, the legal issues generally become more complex and, thus, more costly to litigate.

The Justice of the Peace Court, the initial entry level into the court system for most citizens, has jurisdiction over civil cases in which the disputed amount is less than $15,000. In criminal cases, the Justice of the Peace Court hears certain misdemeanors and most motor vehicle cases (excluding felonies) and the Justices of the Peace may act as committing magistrates for all crimes. All permissible appeals are to the Court of Common Pleas, with the exception of findings of juvenile delinquency for contempt of court related to truancy proceedings which may be appealed to Family Court.

The Court of Common Pleas has jurisdiction in civil cases where the amount in controversy, exclusive of interest, does not exceed $50,000. In criminal cases, the Court of Common Pleas handles all misdemeanors occurring in the State except certain drug-related offenses and traffic offenses. Appeals may be taken to the Superior Court. The Court is also responsible for all preliminary hearings in felony cases.

The Family Court has extensive jurisdiction over virtually all family and juvenile matters. All civil appeals, including those relating to juvenile delinquency, go directly to the Supreme Court while criminal cases are appealed to the Superior Court.

The Superior Court, the State's court of general jurisdiction, has original jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases except equity cases. The Court has exclusive jurisdiction over felonies and almost all drug offenses. In civil matters, the Court's authority to award damages is not subject to a monetary maximum. The Superior Court also serves as an intermediate appellate court by hearing appeals on the record from the Court of Common Pleas, the Family Court (in criminal cases), and a number of administrative agencies. Appeals from the Superior Court may be taken to the Supreme Court.

The Court of Chancery has jurisdiction to hear all matters relating to equity. The litigation in this tribunal deals largely with corporate issues, trusts, estates, other fiduciary matters, disputes involving the purchase of land and questions of title to real estate as well as commercial and contractual matters. The Court of Chancery has a national reputation in the business community and is responsible for developing the case law in Delaware on corporate matters. Appeals from the Court of Chancery may be taken to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is the State's appellate court which receives direct appeals from the Court of Chancery, the Superior Court, and the Family Court. As administrative head of the courts, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in consultation with the other justices, sets administrative policy for the court system.

The Administrative Office of the Courts, including the Judicial Information Center and the Office of the State Court Collections Enforcement, provides those centralized services to the Delaware judiciary which are consistent with the statewide policies and goals for judicial administration and support operations as established by the chief justice of the Supreme Court.

ARMS OF THE SUPREME COURT

Other agencies associated with the Delaware Judiciary include the state funded agencies: Child Placement Review Board, Law Libraries, Office of the Child Advocate and Public Guardian. The majority of the components of the Delaware judicial system are funded by the State. Exceptions to this are the Alderman's Courts, the Registers of Wills for the Court of Chancery, and the Sheriff's Offices.