The legal institution that adjudicates disputes and carries out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the law. The court system is a fundamental element of both common law and civil law systems. Its central role in society is reflected in the constitutional guarantee that every citizen has the right to have their cases heard by a judge in a court of law.

The term also applies to the legal procedure a party follows in a case, such as filing a complaint or defending against a lawsuit. The procedures are often codified in the form of a set of rules known as “court rules.” The term is sometimes used to refer to a particular room or building where court proceedings take place, such as a courtroom or a courthouse; these facilities range from simple and very small facilities in rural communities to large complex facilities in urban communities.

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A court’s legitimacy derives from the public perception that its decisions are based on law rather than ideology or politics; this belief is called judicial supremacy. When courts lose their legitimacy, the public may no longer respect or obey their decisions; and when this occurs, democracy suffers.

The legal custody of a child. Custody may be either physical (who cares for the actual body of the child) or legal (which parent makes medical, educational and other important decisions for the child). Custody can be split between the parents (shared physical and shared legal custody), or one parent can have sole physical and sole legal custody of the child.