So far we have talked about the Justice of the Peace Courts and Family Court.
So now let’s talk about the Court of Common Pleas – sometimes called CCP. The Court of Common Pleas has both civil and criminal jurisdiction. In civil cases, cases with an amount in controversy up to 50,000 can be heard. CCP also handles change of name petitions, habitual motor vehicle hearings and appeals from DMV and JP proceedings. In civil matters like these, there are no jury trials.
In criminal cases, CCP has jurisdiction over all misdemeanors except certain drug offenses, all criminal motor vehicle offenses, preliminary hearings in felony cases and appeals from JP and Alderman criminal hearings. For criminal cases, because of everyone’s Constitutional right to a trial by jury, the defendant has the option of a jury trial.
You have the option of representing yourself in CCP (and any other court for that matter) but, unlike JP and Family Court where people try to represent themselves, in CCP most people have an attorney. All the Courts expect a person representing themselves to follow the same rules attorneys must follow. But because of the nature of the matters handled in CCP, things like the rules of evidence, briefing and trial practices all come into play, and unless you are law trained, it can be a minefield.
LEARN ABOUT OTHER DELAWARE COURTS:
- Supreme Court
- Superior Court
- Court of Common Pleas
- Court of Chancery
- JP Court and Family Court
- Alderman Court
LEGAL CONSULTATION
Mr. Ronald Phillips and Ms. Julianne E. Murray offer free criminal law consultations so you can talk to them to discuss your case. They can be reached by telephone at 302-855-9300 (Georgetown) or 302-422-9300 (Milford) 302-628-9300 (Seaford). You can also send an email through the site’s contact form. Rest assured that you will be treated with utmost respect.