Missouri Court Cases

The judicial system of Missouri has a typical three tiered structure. At the helm is the Supreme Court of Missouri, which has authority over all the lower courts of the state. The Missouri Courts of Appeals are divided into three distinct divisions according to geographical location and collectively form the intermediate court of Appeals in Missouri. The circuit courts of Missouri are the courts of first instances. Each county of the state has at least one trial court and the entire area of the state is divided into 45 prominent circuits. Apart from the chief courts of Missouri, the state also features several specialized courts dealing with family problems, juvenile concerns and probate matters.

Obtaining Missouri Court Information

The state judicial system of Missouri shares information about Missouri court cases with members of the general public. The information can be obtained by accessing the Missouri State Case automated system at https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do. This has been made possible by the Supreme Court Operating Rule 2 which actually governs the public access to state court records. It is possible to obtain information about the party name, case number, and file name as well as the case date by conducting a search for Missouri court cases.

This group of databases contains Supreme Court records and appellate court records.  It also has the court records from the fine collection centers as well as the individual courts of each judicial circuit. Court records are searched when an individual tries to find out a relevant court record online. You can also obtain specific court case information by going through the resource from the privacy of your home.

The remote online search service is free of charge. Searching for case information becomes particularly easy if you know the last name or a part of the last name of the person or people involved in the case. The name of the participating court is another mandatory field which can be chosen from the associated drop down list.

The courts benefit tremendously from this service as well. There are, in fact, a lesser number of individuals seeking out Missouri Court information by visiting the courts personally. Reduced telephone inquiries help in saving precious manpower. However, the information provided over the case.net service of the Missouri courts cannot be used as an official court record. You will have to visit the specific courthouse personally if you are interested in obtaining a copy of the court documents.

Supreme Court of Missouri

The Supreme Court of the state is located at 207 West High Street, Jefferson City, Missouri  65101. You may also contact the highest court of the State at (573) 751-4144.

The court has exclusive and supreme authority over several types of cases. The validity of a law or statute for both the country as well as the state of Missouri can be challenged and overturned or upheld at the Supreme Court. It is also the only court in the state authorized to impose a death penalty. An elected individual’s right to hold office can be challenged in the Supreme Court as well.

The Supreme Court seldom interferes in matters decided by the lower courts of Missouri. However, it may handle certain cases which have been transferred by the intermediary appellate courts or where a trial court’s decision is totally contradictory to the appellate court ruling.

Accessing Missouri Court Case Records

Missouri court cases scheduled for oral arguments can be found at http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=1977. The court now also offers the opportunity of listening to the arguments via a live audio coverage at mms://www.courts.mo.gov/supremecourtaudio. The older arguments are normally kept in archives accessible at http://supremecourt.missourinet.com.

All Supreme Court records are available over the Internet. Certain confidential files, however, are restricted from public review and can only be accessed if you have the proper authorization to do so.

Court of Appeals

The court of appeals is divided into three different divisions based on geographical regions. It is the intermediate appellate court for the state of Missouri and normally hears appeals against the ruling of the circuit courts. Although the cases can be transferred to the Supreme Court for final decisions, less than 10 percent of all appeal cases are heard by the highest court. The jurisdiction of the court of appeals remains final and binding for all intents and purposes.

Missouri Court of Appeals-Eastern District is the largest appellate court of Missouri and handles more than fifty percent of the entire caseload of appeals filed in the state. Twenty five counties and the City of St Louis come within the jurisdiction of the Missouri Court of Appeals-Eastern District.

The court is located at 1 Post Office Square, 815 Olive Street, Room 304, St. Louis, Missouri 63101.  It is possible to go through the case records of Eastern District Court of Appeals by accessing the official website at http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=12086&dist=Opinions%20Eastern. All opinions are listed in a chronologically reverse order with the earliest appellate case record dating back to February 1978.

Missouri Court of Appeals-Western District hears appeals from parties dissatisfied with the verdict of the circuit courts. The western district appellate court has jurisdiction over 45 counties which include the state capital of Jefferson City.

The court house is located at 1300 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106-2970. While most of the oral arguments are heard in Kansas City itself, certain arguments may also take place at Jefferson City, Columbia, St. Joseph, and Kirksville as well as at a few other locations in the Western District.

You can obtain specific information about an appellate case by contacting the clerk of the court at (816) 889-3600. Information is also available online at case.net and contains the case number and name along with specific information about the judge and attorneys handling the case. The dispositions and the opinions are published as well as a listing of the judges’ votes on the case.

Missouri Court of Appeals-Southern District is located at 300 Hammons Parkway, Springfield, Missouri 65806 with an additional courtroom and chambers situated at Butler County Courthouse located at Poplar Bluff.

Seven judges serving the court hear almost 19 percent of all the appeals in the state of Missouri. Case information may be obtained over the telephone by contacting the clerk of court at (417) 895-6811. All Southern District opinions are public records and can be viewed over the Internet. You need to log in to http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=12086&dist=Opinions%20Southern before conducting an appropriate search online.

Missouri Circuit Courts

The circuit courts of Missouri are courts of first instances where the initial trial is conducted. The courts have jurisdiction over both civil and criminal cases and are divided into several specialized divisions like a small claims court, municipal court, family court and associate circuits along with juvenile and probate courts. The circuit courts are organized in all the 45 judicial divisions of the state with an additional court located in the city of St Louis as well. While each county possesses a circuit court, there may be more than a circuit court located within the borders of a county occasionally.

Case information as well as contact information for a specific circuit court may be obtained by logging in to the specific court resource over the Internet. It is also possible to follow the circuit court links given within http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=321.

The Municipal Division of the Circuit Court is empowered to hear all municipal ordinance violations. Case records may be obtained by clicking on the links of specific municipalities from http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=7418. Municipal case records can also be searched by going to the http://www.courts.mo.gov/case.net/ website. It is easy to find out a specific record if you are aware of the county and circuit within which your municipality is situated. It is imperative to note that the municipal court divisions where the case has been processed by the associate or any other division of the circuit courts usually have an asterisk or are italicized.

The Specialized Court division of the circuit courts aims to correct the offenders instead of merely punishing them rigorously for the crimes committed. Youth service facilities as well as detention centers are the usual alternatives to a jail house if the offender in question is a drug offender. Probationary measures are also frequently imposed on the erring youth in order to bring him/her back into the mainstream. Drug court information can be obtained by sending an e-mail to Richard.Morrisey@courts.mo.gov Richard.Morrisey@courts.mo.gov.

Juvenile and family matters court hear problems pertaining to all kinds of family troubles including domestic violence, annulment or dissolution, child custody and visitation rights as well as adoption and guardianship issues.

Fine Collection Center, Missouri

Fines can now be paid online too. Conservation, watercraft and traffic violation fees can be paid 24 hours a day by logging in to the online resource of Missouri Fine Collection Center (FCC) at https://www.mofcc.com/pbw/. However, you need to pay an additional charge as an online processing fee. You can also pay the entire amount by cash, check or money order by mailing the requisite amount to Missouri Fine Collection Center, PO Box 104540, Jefferson City, Missouri 65110.