What Is Common Pleas Court?
A common pleas court is a court that has general jurisdiction, meaning that it can hear a variety of criminal and civil cases. Several justice systems use common pleas courts as intermediate-level courts for their legal systems. Common pleas courts are trial courts and do not have the jurisdiction to hear appeals; people who wish to appeal cases must take their cases to an appeals court that has this legal authority. Historically, Great Britain used common pleas courts to handle legal disputes between commoners, with other courts handling legal matters relating to the nobility. The concept of a court with general jurisdiction to handle civil and criminal matters on an intermediate level carried over into other legal systems, and courts of common pleas appeared in numerous other nations as well. The precise jurisdiction of such courts varies, depending on how a nation’s legal system is structured.
