Supreme Court

Each State and Territory except the Australian Antarctic Territory and the Jervis Bay Territory has a Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the State or Territory. It decides both civil and criminal matters and its decisions are binding on the lower courts. It has an original jurisdiction that is exclusive to this Court not shared with lower courts. Supreme Courts deal with major civil cases. It also hears civil disputes over a fixed value which could vary from State to State and administrative law matters where people dispute government decisions affecting them. In criminal law, to some extent the Supreme Court's powers overlap with those of the intermediate courts, so a serious criminal offence could be heard either in the Supreme Court or a local intermediate court, depending on various factors.

The Court also has an appellate jurisdiction, hearing appeals from lower courts and specialist tribunals and from single judges of the Supreme Court. A major function of the Supreme Court is to handle appeals from other courts. Often appeals are heard first by a single judge. Appeals from lower courts are usually heard by one judge. Appeals from decisions of a single Supreme Court judge are heard by a Full Bench of Supreme Court Judges usually three sitting together.
The Supreme Court hears serious criminal cases, such as murder, attempted murder and certain serious drug offences. All criminal and some civil cases are decided by jury. Civil trials are usually decided by a judge although the parties to some disputes such as defamation can ask for a jury to decide the case.
Generally the parties in dispute may appeal against the decisions of the Supreme Court. All appeals from the Supreme Court go directly to the Court of Appeal.

Supreme Court judges are stationed permanently in one or more major cities in each State. The Supreme Court also visits other towns throughout the State. These are called circuit towns. When the Supreme Court sits in a circuit town it is called the Circuit Court.