An Amtsgericht (official English translation: local court) in Germany is an official court. These courts form the lowest level of the so-called 'ordinary jurisdiction' of the German judiciary (German Ordentliche Gerichtsbarkeit), which is responsible for most criminal and civil judicial matters. The German Amtsgericht may be compared to the magistrates' courts in England and Wales. Its name derives from the Amt as a denomination for an administrative and court district in many of the territories of the Holy Roman Empire. The main areas of an Amtsgericht's jurisdiction are: