Arkansas State Courts

Arkansas has a more complex judicial system than some of the other states. It features two federal district courts and a number of circuit courts. There are trial courts of limited and general jurisdiction. There is also a court of appeals as well as a supreme court for the state of Arkansas to deal with appeals from the lower courts in the system.

There are district courts for the counties of Arkansas, these have limited, county-wide jurisdiction. Arkansas County Courts do not act as judicial bodies, but they have a county judge and are effectively branches of state government.

Arkansas also has a city court system, with 70 court judges split between 91 different city locations in the state. These act as trial courts of original jurisdiction when it comes to violations relating to the ordinance of a city itself.

There are 28 circuit courts. These are the trial courts of general jurisdiction throughout the state, and all deal with different regions.

For cases involving bankruptcy there are specific courts within Arkansas. These only have jurisdiction over bankruptcy and nothing else. The two bankruptcy courts are:

• United States bankruptcy court, Eastern District
• United States bankruptcy court, Western District

https://arkansas.gov/

Court Name:	Arkansas Supreme Court
Address:	625 Marshall Street, Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone:	(501) 682-9400
Website URL:	https://www.arcourts.gov/courts/supreme-court

Intermediate and Supreme Courts

Cases referred from circuit courts may be heard by the Court of Appeals. There is just one appeals court in Arkansas. Should there be a dispute over the decision of this court then people may appeal to the Supreme Court, but there isn’t a specific right of appeal, so the Supreme Court itself would need to agree to this.

The Arkansas Constitution outlines the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, which is the court of last resort in the state of Arkansas. Appeals from lower courts and occasionally from the Court of Appeals may be heard here. Civil court only deals with cases where the monetary value is under $250,000. Cases above this may be heard in the supreme court.

This Supreme Court of Arkansas also takes on the role of supervising the conduct of attorneys at law and the rest of the state’s court and legal systems.

Types of Courts in Arkansas

How to Find Arkansas Court Records Online

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act has made the court’s records a matter of public information since 1967. You can use our search tool to help you to find information from specific cases within the state’s judicial system. Access information including police reports, criminal judgements, conviction and probation details for an individual case with ease.

Most cases that have taken place in recent years have information easily accessible online, for cases prior to this in the state of Arkansas, you may have to contact specific state courts to access the details you require.

Arkansas Counties