The State Judicial Branch

This chapter examines the work of state supreme courts and their development, in comparison to the institutional role of the U.S. Supreme Court in the federal system. The chapter covers the nature of the judicial power, judicial review, judicial selection, the rules of practice and procedure, the regulation of practice and procedure, the regulation of the practice of law, the inherent powers of the courts, and advisory opinions and certified questions. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the position and function of the state judiciary in the state constitutional scheme of government, and the ways in which the position and function of the state judiciary differ from their federal counterpart.