Part III. Procedure.

§48-27-301. Jurisdiction.

(a) Circuit courts, family courts and magistrate courts have concurrent jurisdiction over domestic violence proceedings as provided in this article.

(b) The Supreme Court of Appeals is authorized to assign appropriate judicial officers for five domestic violence courts in any jurisdiction chosen by the Supreme Court of Appeals.  Judicial officers so assigned have the authority and jurisdiction to preside over criminal misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence involving family or household members as defined in subdivisions (1) through (6), inclusive, and paragraphs (A), (B) and (H), subdivision (7), section two hundred four of this article, relating to offenses under subsections (b) and (c), section nine, article two, chapter sixty-one of this code, misdemeanor violations of section nine-a, article two, chapter sixty-one of this code, misdemeanor violations of section twenty-eight, article two, chapter sixty-one of this code, misdemeanor offenses under article three, chapter sixty-one of this code where the alleged perpetrator and the victim are said family or household members, subdivisions (7) and (8), section seven, article seven, chapter sixty-one of this code and civil and criminal domestic violence protective order proceedings as provided in this article. The judicial officer chosen for any domestic violence court may be a current or senior status circuit judge, family court judge, temporary family court judge or magistrate. The Supreme Court of Appeals is requested to maintain statistical data to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of any domestic violence court established by the provisions of this section.

(c) The assigned judicial officer in a domestic violence court does not have jurisdiction to preside over any felony crimes unless the assigned judicial officer is a circuit court judge.