Search In Legal Alaska Accounting Forms For Free

WHAT IS A SMALL CLAIMS CASE? A small claims case is a simplified type of court case for a person to try to recover money or personal property worth $10,000 or less. If your claim is over $10,000, you can still use small claims court, but you must give up the right to collect any amount over $10,000.

After Alaska became a state in 1959, the Alaska Constitution created the Alaska Supreme Court. While its central location is in Anchorage, where it hears arguments monthly, the Alaska Supreme Court also hears arguments in Fairbanks, Juneau, and other locations less regularly.

To bring a lawsuit, the plaintiff files a document called a complaint with the court. The complaint explains what the dispute is about and states what relief the plaintiff is asking for. The defendant then has a chance to file a document called an answer.

Each state within the United States, plus the District of Columbia, has at least one supreme court, or court of last resort. Oklahoma and Texas both have two courts of last resort, one for civil appeals and one for criminal appeals. The supreme courts do not hear trials of cases.

Alaska's court system is a "unified, centrally administered, and totally state-funded" system. The Alaska Supreme Court and Alaska Court of Appeals are the state's appellate courts; the superior courts and district courts serve as trial courts. Click a link for information about that court type.

The Alaska Supreme Court is the highest level of state court in Alaska. It hears appeals from lower state courts and also administers the state's judicial system. The Supreme Court includes five justices. The justices, by majority vote, select one of their members to be the chief justice.