Minnesota Court Docket Search

Minnesota Court Docket Search

A Minnesota court docket search is a procedure used to access public records of all cases that have been filed in the state's courts. Featuring Minnesota court records, dockets typically contain court docket is a summary of court proceedings in any Minnesota Court.

Court dockets are usually maintained by the clerk of court in the courthouse where the case was heard, and they contain the details of the names of case parties, the case number, the type of case, and the hearing date and time.

Are Court Dockets Public Records in Minnesota?

Yes, per Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA) court dockets in Minnesota are considered public records because they are part of court records. This means that they are available to the public and can be accessed by anyone unless they are sealed or restricted by a court order. Court dockets do not provide information regarding cases like adoption and juvenile.

Where to Find a Court Docket in Minnesota?

There are 87 counties that are distributed along 10 judicial districts. There are three types of Minnesota state courts. They include

• Supreme court

• Court of appeal

• Trial (district) court

• Supreme court: interested persons can find a supreme court docket here

• Court of appeal: interested persons can find a court of appeal court docket here

• Trial (district) court: interested persons can find a trial court docket here or contact the Minnesota's court administrator office and search by county.

To make it easier, all of Minnesota’s court dockets can be found in one place. Interested persons can search for a court docket at the Minnesota judicial branch.

How to Conduct a Minnesota Court Docket Search?

There are several ways to conduct a court docket number search in Minnesota, depending on the court where the case is being heard and the type of information you are looking for. Some possible ways include:

• Online:

1. Go to the Minnesota Judicial Branch website

2. Click on access case records.

3. Click Minnesota District (Trial) Court Case Search

4. Click Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO)

5. Click access MCRO

6. Click case search

7. Select sounds like

8. Type in the last and first name in the box

9. Scroll down and click find

10 Scroll down and click view case details

Many courts in Minnesota provide access to court dockets electronically.

• In-person: You can also find court dockets by visiting the courthouse where the case is being heard. Court dockets are typically available for viewing in the court clerk's office during regular business hours.
  Having basic information such as the party’s name will help the court clerk in finding the court docket number.
  In Minnesota, to find a particular court in a county, follow these steps:
  • Go to the Minnesota Judicial Branch
  • Information concerning the district court in that county will be displayed.
  • You can find the address, phone number (s), and mailing address (es) of the court.
• Though Public computer terminals located at the courthouses in Minnesota:

Each Minnesota district courthouse allows and provides access to public case documents through a public access terminal.

What is the Purpose of a Court Docket in Minnesota?

A court docket is a valuable tool for understanding the Minnesota court system and can be used to gain insight into the judicial process. The docket allows the public to see what cases are scheduled to be heard and which can be useful for those who are interested in following a particular case or learning more about the court’s activities.

A court docket also serves as a reference for court administrators, attorneys, case parties, and members of the public to access information related to court cases in a timely and efficient manner. For instance, court administrators can use dockets to track the progress of cases, monitor payment of fines and fees, and ensure that all court orders are properly enforced. With court dockets, attorneys and case parties can know the status of their cases and the hearing time and date.

Members of the public can use court docket search tools provided by most Minnesota Courts to inspect or obtain copies of court records.

What Do Court Dockets Contain in Minnesota?

Court dockets in Minnesota typically contain a variety of information about the court proceedings. The specific information that is included in a court docket can vary depending on the court and case type, but here is a general list of information that may be included in a court docket in Minnesota:

1. Case information:

That may include:

• Case number
• Case title
• Case type
• Date filed
• Case location
• Case status etc

2. Party information

That may include:

• Plaintiff
• Defendant
• Applicant
• Decedent
• Attorneys active
• Personal representative etc

3. Charges:

That may include:

• Level of charge
• Offense date
• Prosecuting agency
• Law enforcement agency etc

4. Disposition
5. Financial information:

That may include:

• Transaction details etc

6. Case events

What is a Court Docket Number in Minnesota?

A court docket number is a unique identifying number assigned to each case filed in a Minnesota court. This number is used to reference the case in court proceedings, documents, and records. It is also used to track the progress of the case and to help ensure that each case is handled properly and efficiently. Once a docket number is assigned to a case, it must appear on all papers submitted to the Court.

The docket number is typically composed of:

1. Jurisdiction: the first two-digit county number will reveal jurisdiction i.e which county has jurisdiction in Minnesota. In those jurisdictions with multiple court locations, a two-character indicator will follow the county number.
2. Case type: there are various case types. They include:

• CV = Civil
• CR = Criminal
• JV = Juvenile
• VB = criminal (traffic) non-mandatory appearance cases
• CO = Conciliation
• PR = Probate
• FA = Family etc

3. Year: this is a two-digit code, representing the year when the case was filed in court.
4. Sequence: this represents in chronological order, the time in which the case was filed in court.

Its arranged in this way:

jurisdiction/case type/year/sequence.

For example, Court docket Number: 10/CR/03/1, represents the first criminal case filed in Carver County, Minnesota, in the year 2003.

The court docket number can be found on a variety of documents related to the case, including the summons, complaint, answer, or motion. It will be used in all official court documents and correspondence related to the case and can be used to access case information through the court's online docket system or by contacting the court directly.

The docket number is important because it allows the court, case parties, and other interested individuals to quickly locate the case. It also helps the court system keep its records organized and up-to-date.

How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in Minnesota?

To conduct a court docket number lookup in Minnesota you can use the following methods:

1. Contacting the court clerk: Interested persons can find the docket number of a case in Minnesota by contacting the court clerk where the case is being heard. Having basic information such as the party’s name will help the court clerk in finding the court docket number.
   To find the court clerk’s number of a particular court in a county, follow these steps:

• Go to the Minnesota Judicial Branch
• Click on find court
• Select the county’s name (this is only relevant for district/trial courts)
• Click go
• Information concerning the district court in that county will be displayed.
• You can find the phone number (s) and mailing address (es) of the court.
  Interested persons can contact the court clerk in person or by calling the phone number of the court clerk.

2. Through the Court's public computer terminal:

• District courts:
  Each Minnesota district courthouse provides access to public case documents through a public access terminal. A fee is charged per document, to print it, though not all courts offer printing services, so a notebook or notepad will be needed to write the docket number. If you have basic information such as the name of at least one of the parties in the case, you can search and find the correct document concerning the party involved you are looking for and then you can look up the docket number on the document.

3. Through locally stored court records in paper form:
   Each district courthouse also offers access to court records in paper form. Interested persons can search manually for the relevant court documents by name and find the docket number of the case record
4. Minnesota Judicial Branch website:
   Interested persons can go to Minnesota’s judicial branch website and follow these steps (This will give you access to only District court cases):

• Go to the Minnesota Judicial Branch website
• Click on access case records.
• Click Minnesota District (Trial) Court Case Search
• Click Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO)
• Click access MCRO
• Click case search
• Input the last and first name (this is mandatorily required) of the defendant involved
• Choose a county if you know it or allow the search to look statewide
• Click Find
• You will see the list of court records corresponding to your search. Find the correct one. Or if your search inputs were thorough, you will see only the accurate document.
• The docket number will be displayed on the document for individuals to see

5. Supreme court:
   Interested persons can search for a supreme court docket number in Minnesota by following these steps:

• Visit the United States Supreme court page.
• Click on court documents
• Click on docket search
• Click on the search box
• Input case name
• This search provides information on a national level. So interested persons may need to sort out through the various states and counties to find the correct document.
• All documents carry a supreme court docket number.