The first court to hear a criminal or civil case is called what?

• A. Trial Court
• B. Appellate Court
• C. Indeterminate Sentencing
• D. Offenses Against Public Order

Answer: (A)

When a case is brought, it begins in the trial court, the court of first instance. This is where the facts are gathered through evidence and testimony, and where a judge or jury decides whether the defendant is liable or guilty and a verdict or judgment is entered. Appellate courts come later and review whether legal errors occurred in the trial court; they don’t hear new evidence or retry the facts. Indeterminate sentencing is about how a sentence might be set (a sentencing concept), not a court that hears cases. Offenses against public order are categories of crimes, not courts. So the initial place to hear a criminal or civil case is the trial court.