Delaware County Court Information

The judicial system for the state of Delaware differs from the other courts to a great extent. The court system of the state resembles a pyramid with the Supreme Court forming the apex of the pyramid. The base or the lowest level of the judicial system of the state consists of the Peace Court and the Alderman’s Court. There is no Delaware County Court as such and these two courts together with the Family Court and the court of common pleas handle all the functions normally associated with a county court.

Justice of the Peace Court

The Justice of the Peace Court is the initial court for the people of Delaware. The court enjoys limited jurisdiction over misdemeanor as well as traffic violations. However, felony cases are normally not included within the traffic violation cases handled by the Justice of Peace Court. Civil dispute cases of less than $15,000 come under the purview of the court as well.

Appeals can be made against lower court decisions at the common pleas court of Delaware. Juvenile delinquency cases appeals are heard by the family court of the state. All court information of the Justice of Peace court can be accessed at http://courts.delaware.gov/Courts/Justice%20of%20the%20Peace%20Court/. The locations as well as the business hours for each of the 16 courts can be viewed by logging in to the site as well.

Alderman’s Court

The Alderman’s Court has limited jurisdiction over certain misdemeanors as well as over the local municipal ordinances of the region. Delaware has 19 Alderman’s Courts. The Alderman’s Court of the City of Newark is located at 220 Elkton Road, Newark, DE 19711 and can be contacted at (302) 366-7028. You are also free to find out all about the Alderman’s court by accessing the website at http://www.cityofnewarkde.us/index.aspx?NID=26.

Family Courts in Delaware

The Family court was established in 1945 when the juvenile courts become specialized and began to handle all family matters including annulment, divorce cases, child visitation and guardianship issues. The family courts perform a part of the functions that would have been handled by the Delaware County Court had it existed.

The New Castle County Courthouse looks after all family disputes and is located at 500 North King Street. Court information is available over the telephone at 302-255-0300. You can also visit their official website at http://courts.delaware.gov/Hours%20and%20Locations/Family%20Court/?fam_nc.htm for obtaining important family court information.

Court of Common Pleas

The court of common pleas for New Castle County is located at 500 North King Street, Wilmington, DE 19801.  It has extensive jurisdiction over a host of criminal as well as civil dispute cases. All misdemeanors including motor vehicle offenses as well as preliminary trials of felony cases are conducted by the courts of common pleas located in the state of Delaware. Appeals from the lower courts are regularly heard by the common pleas courts. 

Change of name petitions are often heard by these courts as well. Civil litigation suits limited to $50,000 are decided by the judges of the common pleas courts of Delaware. The Municipal courts were merged with the Court of Common pleas and the justice of peace courts in the year 1998. Detailed information about the courts of common pleas can be accessed at http://courts.delaware.gov/Courts/Court%20of%20Common%20Pleas/?jurisdiction.htm.