A court is an institution, often a public agency, that adjudicates legal disputes and administers justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters. Courts are established and dissolved through legislation enacted by a legislature, or, in the case of international courts, by a treaty. Courts are usually governed by rules of procedure that regulate how the courts work.

Generally, a court will have judges and other judicial officers as its employees, as well as barristers or attorneys as advisers and assistants. Judges are the chief judicial officers of courts, while clerks manage their paperwork and other day-to-day activities. A court may also have additional staff members such as a secretary and a bailiff to keep order and ensure that witnesses comply with the terms of the court’s orders.

The main function of a court is to settle private disputes impartially and authoritatively. It does this by determining whether someone committed a crime, and, in the case of criminal proceedings, what sort of punishment is to be meted out. Without a court, people would be likely to take law into their own hands and punish alleged wrongdoers according to their uncontrolled discretion.

A court’s decision is binding upon all parties involved in the case and is typically published. In addition to court cases, the judiciary also conducts trials in the form of coroner’s inquests and other types of judicial hearings.