Purchasing Resources for Iowa State Courts

Iowa State Courts enforce the rules and regulations made by the Iowa state legislature. In fact, if a case arises from an Iowa state law, it must be tried in a state court of Iowa–federal courts and the federal government do not have jurisdiction to handle this type of legal dispute.

The highest court in the state of Iowa is the Supreme Court. Consisting of 7 judges, this court handles the appeals from the District Court except for small claims appeals and real estate cases under $3000. Those cases–and other cases transferred by the Supreme Court--are handled by the Court of Appeals, which has 9 judges.

There are three District Courts in Iowa. The first consists of 116 judges and covers general and civil probate and criminal cases as well as juvenile court cases. The second District Court has 54 district associate judges. This court has jurisdiction over city actions that are $10,000 or less; small claims that are $4000 or less; misdemeanors and traffic violations; preliminary hearings; and some juvenile cases. The third District Court has 134 part-time magistrates who handle small claims less than $4000; non-indictable misdemeanors; search warrant and property hearings; and emergency hospitalization hearings. No jury trials are overseen by any of the three District Courts.

If you would like to learn more about Iowa State Courts, try the links on the left. Provided by Business.com, these links contain valuable information about the various types of courts in the state of Iowa.