High court

High court is a name used for a variety of courts, often ones with jurisdiction over the most serious issues. In countries with a civil law system, the term usually refers to an appellate court handling the first stage of appeal from a trial court, serving as an intermediate body before appeal to a constitutional court, court of cassation, or supreme court. In common law countries, particularly those of the former British Empire, a high court is often the superior trial court, holding plenary original jurisdiction over the most serious offenses such as murder, rape, and terrorism, while lower courts such as district courts or magistrates courts hold more limited jurisdiction; the Tokyo High Court of Japan, by contrast, is an appellate body hearing appeals from district courts. Some federations have multiple high courts each with jurisdiction over a particular region, and one notable exception, the High Court of Australia, holds both original and appellate jurisdiction along with constitutional-court-like functions. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/