What are the different types of court proceedings?

Answer 1

There's Civil & Criminal on a broad level. Then you have forfeiture proceedings, divorces, contracts, torts, employment discrimination...

Too many to list..

Answer 2

As mentioned, the broadest division is criminal court and civil court. There is also division by level of government such as Federal court and State court. Obviously Federal Court hears problems with Federal law, including suing the IRS (Tax court), kidnapping across state lines. Whereas murder, unless it involves kidnapping or other Federal law, is usually tried in a State court. Lawsuits would usually be in the state courts.

From Wikipedia: "The federal courts are a branch of the federal government, and include:

General jurisdiction courts:
United States district courts
United States court of appeals (except the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit)
Supreme Court of the United States

Courts of specific subject-matter jurisdiction:
United States bankruptcy courts
United States Tax Court
United States Court of International Trade
United States Court of Federal Claims
United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit"

State courts are similarly organized. For example, New York Civil Court System has lower courts such as family court, Surrogate's Court (Wills & estates), City courts on the lowest level, then Appellate Courts and the State Supreme Court. Criminal Courts are divided into various lower Courts then up to the highest Court of Appeals.

Go here for NY court system http://www.courts.state.ny.us/courts/structure.shtml

Go here for Massachusetts court system
http://www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/index.html

If you are interested in the court system of a particular state, just go to that State's court website.

Answer 3

Criminal cases like trial for murder are emotional,
Civil cases such as enforceability of contracts, and
Special proceedings like partition of inheritance.

Answer 4

Civil, Criminal, Family