Bittner, Hyrns, Daly & Riemland, PC - Untitled 1

The Jurisdiction of a State Court

Jurisdiction refers to the power of a court to hear and decide a case. The power of a state court to hear a particular case comes from the constitution and laws of that state. For a court's decision to be legally binding, the court must have both...

Housing Courts

Housing courts are specialized courts that handle landlord-tenant cases. The New York City Housing Court handles only residential landlord-tenant cases; another court division handles commercial landlord-tenant cases. Housing courts in Minnesota...

Discretionary Review of a State Court Decision

State Courts of Appeals

Generally, a litigant can file an appeal of a state trial court's final decision as a matter of right. The party filing the appeal usually is called the appellant; the other party is called the...

Amicus Curiae

Amicus curiae is a Latin term meaning "friend of the court." An amicus curiae is not a party to the lawsuit but is a person or group that has a strong interest in the matter being litigated. The function of an amicus curiae is to bring to the...

General Civil Litigation

Criminal litigation involves the government's prosecution of a person because of an alleged commission of a crime. Criminal laws (federal, state, and local statutes) define criminal offenses. Criminal behavior is punished by imposing a...