State Supreme Courts
North Carolina Courts - Government Website
North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court Reports/Opinions Online
Each state has one appellate level court that is considered the ultimate judicial authority in that state. In North Carolina it is the Supreme Court of North Carolina. Some states have a supreme court and no appellate court. The Uniform System of Citation, otherwise known as the “Bluebook,” contains an appendix (T.1: United States Jurisdictions) that describes the available reports and citation rules for each jurisdiction. The Bluebook appendix noted above should help identify the court system within unfamiliar jurisdictions. Note also that the technical names of courts may vary. The highest court in Massachusetts is called the Supreme Judicial Court. In New York, though, the highest court is the Court of Appeals, while the New York Supreme Court is actually a trial court. Texas has two supreme courts: the Supreme Court of Texas handles civil appeals, while the Court of Criminal Appeals has jurisdiction over criminal matters. The Texas Supreme Court may overrule the Court of Criminal Appeals but rarely exercises that jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court of North Carolina publishes its opinions in North Carolina Reports (official report). West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters, also publishes the Court’s opinions in the Southeastern Reporter. This parallel report contains the exact report that the Court issued, usually with the addition of case summaries and headnotes not found in the official reports or in slip opinions.