Missouri Court Information, Structure and Jurisdictions

Just like any other state in the U.S., the legal system in Missouri can be broadly divided into 2 types of courts – federal courts and state courts. The state courts in Missouri are clearly defined according to hierarchy and jurisdiction. Here are the various Missouri state courts:

•    The Supreme Court
•    The Appeals Court (in 3 districts)
•    The Circuit Courts (these are present in 45 circuits)
•    The Municipal Courts

It is implausible to have a single legal institution for all the legal tasks that need to be performed in Missouri. This need for multiple courts has been realized by the authorities of the state, and hence, a tiered court structure has been opted for.

Missouri Courts: How to Contact the Legal Personnel?

In the absence of the specific measures that have been put in place for easy access to court information for the common people, the task of learning about the courts would have been very tricky indeed. Thankfully, no such challenges exist whenever information from any particular Missouri court is required.

The legal authorities in the State of Missouri have prepared an official website which contains all the information that you might require at https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/base/welcome.do.

The website mentioned above allows you to search for records related to any particular lawsuit. The concerned legal proceeding might have taken place in any of the courts of Missouri. What’s more, you also get multiple options regarding the manner in which you wish to search for the court records. You can either:

•    Search by providing the name of the litigants, or contesting parties
•    Search by quoting the specific case number
•    Search according to the date on which the relevant case was filed in court
•    Search as per the dates of court hearings and the day of actual trial

You may also need to file a case in one of these courts. You will first need to know which court has jurisdiction to hear your case. Generally, it is the trial courts that have the jurisdiction to hear most cases.

Appealing Your Case

If you have already filed a case and the judgment was not in your favor, you will need to approach the Appeals Court and subsequently the Supreme Court. To know the various rules in the Supreme Court of the state, you can visit http://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=46.

There exists a vertical tier legal system in Missouri. The Supreme Court is at the apex of the legal structure of the Missouri judiciary. It has the sole right of directing, supervising and monitoring all the work and processes of the lower courts. It also has the authority to re-evaluate and if there is a need, revoke the decisions that were passed by any court under it.

Missouri Circuit Courts

The Circuit Courts of Missouri are the trial courts in the state which oversee criminal as well civil cases. The court sits at places and times as decided by the authorities according to current needs. As is the custom in many of the other states, Missouri is geographically divided into multiple judicial circuits. Each of these segregated areas has one Circuit Court. In the state, there are as many as 45 Circuit Courts.

Know More about the Missouri Courthouse Laws and Directives

The prevalent laws in the State of Missouri explicitly recommend the establishment of the Office of the State Courts Administrator. This office is in charge of overseeing the proper functioning of all the different wings of the judicial system in the state. Valuable useful legal information can also be obtained from the Newsroom section of the official legal website of Missouri, which has been mentioned above.

There also exists a legal directive that allows you to get in touch with the court personnel in Missouri over the phone. You can dial 888-541-4894 to reach the Office of State Courts Administrator.

Other Court Services

Missouri has been, like several other states, geographically subdivided into various judicial districts. Among them, the 16th judicial district (the Jackson County) is served by the Probate court system as well. This is in addition to the services of the general courts.

The State of Missouri places great value on the vital public records that the courts keep in their repositories. You need to know that these records can be accessed only by individuals with proper authorization. Unauthorized access to court information is prohibited, and any one found to be tampering with the court records of Missouri is deemed to be punishable by law.