LOCAL CRIMINAL COURTS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (WASHINGTON, D.C.) & THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICS (WORLD COURT)
This paper provides of brief review of the (a) local criminal courts in the District of Columbia (Washington, D. C.) in the United States and (b) the International Court of Justice (the World Court). At the outset of this review, it is necessary to state that (a) no connection exists between the local criminal courts in Washington, D.C. and the World Court (decisions in the local criminal courts in Washington, D.C. may not be appealed to the World Court), (b) there is no overlap in the jurisdictions of the two court systems, and (c) there exist dramatic differences in the types of cases hear by the two court systems.
Local Criminal Courts in Washington, D.C.
As the District of Columbia in the United States is not a state, the local court system for the District is a creature of the federal government in the United States. This status means that any judicial system within the District of Columbia must be authorized specifically by an act of the United States Congress. Specifically, the Criminal Justice Act for the District of Columbia authorizes the existence and provides funding for District of Columbia courts (General Accounting Office 2).
There are multiple levels of local criminal courts in Washington, D. C. The primary criminal court for the District of Columbia is the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. This court is the entry court into the system for most criminal cases in Washington, D.C. Additionally, there are in the District of Columbia Court System (a) a Juvenile Court and (b) a Drug Court, each of which is under the general jurisdiction of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (ôSuperior Court of the District of Columbiaö 1; Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press 1; National Association of Drug Court Professionals 1).
Decisions rendered by the Juvenile Court a...