Litigants in state courts are most often comprised of which groups?

Individuals and small businesses are the primary litigants in state courts due to the nature of the legal issues typically handled at the state level. State courts often deal with matters that are closely related to everyday life, such as family law, personal injury, contract disputes, landlord-tenant issues, and criminal cases. Individuals seeking resolutions to personal grievances, financial disputes, or family matters frequently find themselves involved in these courts.

Small businesses also make up a significant portion of litigants in state courts, as they frequently encounter issues like contract disputes, employment law cases, and local regulatory challenges. The combination of individuals and small businesses reflects the geographical and demographic diversity found in state court jurisdictions, where cases are often derived from local and community-related disputes rather than large-scale commercial litigation or high-profile government cases.

This makes option B the most accurate choice, as it aligns with the common types of parties that engage in litigation in state courts.