Judiciary is a jurisdiction’s system of courts responsible for interpreting the laws and administering justice. At the federal level, Article III established the federal judiciary. States also have their own judiciary. For example, Article 6 of the California Constitution creates the state’s judiciary. California’s judiciary consists of a Supreme Court, which is the highest-level appellate court; the California Courts of Appeal, which are the intermediary appellate courts; and the California Superior Courts, which are the trial courts of general jurisdiction.
[Last updated in December of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]