a public governmental institution," George wrote, and parties utilizing it must expect that their cases will be tried in public

The first court to hear the case, as opposed to an appellate court which hears appeals of decisions made in trial courts.

The city or county court where a case starts; the court that decides the facts and law in the case.

A trial court or court of first instance is the court in which most civil or criminal cases begin. Not all cases are heard in trial courts; some cases may begin in inferior limited jurisdiction bodies such as the case of the jurisdiction of an administrative body that has been created by statute to make some kind of binding determination under the law and were simplified procedural practices may apply similar to arbitration.