North Carolina Courts

Let’s talk about the trial courts in Mecklenburg County, and really in all 100 counties across the state of North Carolina. There are two levels of trial courts in North Carolina. The district court and the superior court. District court is the court where misdemeanors and less serious cases are tried. Traffic offenses are tried in district court, driving while impaired, first offense and second offense cases, and in some cases, third offense cases are tried in district court. Simple assaults, small financial crimes, and those types of cases are in the district court.

The district court is not a court of record. It is tried in front of a judge, not a jury. There’s no court reporter that records testimony or anything that’s said in the district courtrooms. A judge makes his or her decision based on the facts and law that are presented by the prosecutor and the defense attorney, simply before the judge. If an adverse ruling is held, and that is a defendant is found guilty. The defendant can appeal the case to a jury trial in superior court.

Superior court is the trial court level that tries serious cases. Felonies. That is the original jurisdiction court level for all felonies. Handles felonies from drug offenses to sex offenses to first-degree murder and death penalty cases. All cases are usually tried in front of a jury, or pled out if a plea agreement is reached between a prosecutor and a defense attorney.