The General District Court decides civil suits involving amounts of money up to $25,000, traffic cases, and misdemeanor criminal cases. A misdemeanor is any charge, which carries a penalty of no more than one year in jail or a fine of up to $2,500, or both. The General District Court also holds preliminary hearings in felony cases. Any charge, which may be punishable by more than one year in jail, is called a felony.