District Court

Jurisdiction of the District Court

The District Courts are trial courts of general jurisdiction and are organized into 12 judicial districts to serve all 93 counties in the state.

The District Court has concurrent jurisdiction with County Courts. However, the District Court primarily hears all felony criminal cases, equity cases, domestic relations cases and civil cases involving more than $70,000.00. It also functions as an appellate court in deciding appeals from county courts and various administrative agencies.

Functions of the District Court Office

The Clerk of the District Court is responsible for maintaining records related to criminal, civil, and mental health cases, as well as processing judgments. The Clerk also serves as the ex officio Jury Commissioner, managing the selection and summoning of jurors for District and County Court proceedings.

Additional duties of the District Court Office include:

• Issuing court orders
• Filing and preserving all documents submitted to the Court
• Certifying and authenticating court filings
• Recording the return of every summons, subpoena, and court order served
• Preparing and filing the annual inventory statement of county personal property in the Clerk’s custody
• Providing and processing protection order applications
• Tracking all court costs, fees, fines, restitution, and judgments for each case filed