West Virginia Legal Overview: Charleston The Charleston metropolitan area in West Virginia is defined by the Census Bureau as covering Boone, Clay, Kanawha, Lincoln and Putnam Counties. Charleston is the county seat of Kanawha County, which comes under the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. The Kanawha County Circuit Court located in Charleston is the main trial court with general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases filed in Charleston and the rest of the county. This court handles felony prosecutions and all civil cases exceeding $300.
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1. Kanawha County is also covered by the Eleventh Family Court Circuit. The family court, also located in Charleston, handles divorce petitions and annulments, visitation arrangements, family support, domestic violence civil cases, and paternity tests. Kanawha County additionally has ten magistrates who preside over misdemeanor cases, code violations, and civil cases not exceeding $5,000. They can hold preliminary hearings for felony cases and set bail. Magistrates can also issue arrest or search warrants and protection orders.
Kanawha County Court Information
Trending Legal Topics: Appeals against the family, magistrate and municipal courts can be filed with the Kanawha County Circuit Court. Family case appeals may be filed directly with the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, provided both parties are in agreement to do so. The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals is the court of last resort. The state has no intermediate appellate court. Federal cases in the Charleston metropolitan area must be filed with the Charleston Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. |