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| Minnesota Court Records- Listed below is contact information and/or links to websites containing resources to help in a search for Minnesota court records. | |||
| Minnesota Courts Online Access to Public Records, and Case Dockets | |||
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Minnesota maintains one of the most extensive and diverse court systems in the United States. Its courtrooms range from courts of more general jurisdiction, such as District Court, to highly specialized courts dealing only with workers’ compensation or tax cases. Minnesota's Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court, the highest court in the state, is described as “the final guardian of the state constitution.” It interprets and applies the U.S. Constitution, as well. Chief among the Supreme Court’s roles is serving as Minnesota’s top appellate court. The court receives appeals from the Minnesota Court of Appeals, but also hears cases appealed from the Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Tax Court. The Supreme Court directly receives first-degree murder appeals and attorney or judge disciplinary cases rising from the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board and the Board on Judicial Standards. Outside the courtroom, the Supreme Court is responsible for overseeing that the wheels of justice turn smoothly statewide. It is the overseer of the lower court systems in the state, regulates the practice of law in Minnesota, and makes recommendations for improvement of the judicial system. The court has seven justices, led by Chief Justice Russell A. Anderson. Justices are elected to six-year terms, and mid-term vacancies are filled by gubernatorial appointment. Valuable Supreme Court resources online include oral arguments in streaming video, the court’s calendar, and its opinions. Minnesota's Court of Appeals To lighten the burden of the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Minnesota Court of Appeals was established and opened for business on Nov. 1, 1983, to provide Minnesotans a more prompt and deliberate review of appeals from the trial courts, state agencies and local governments. Most appeals originating in Minnesota become the responsibility of the Court of Appeals. There are a few exceptions, with decisions by the Minnesota Tax Court and Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals, first-degree murder cases, and statewide election contests going straight to the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals is an error-correcting court; it can reverse incorrect decisions made by lower courts and other bodies. By handling these cases promptly, the Court of Appeals allows the Supreme Court to focus on more difficult constitutional and public policy issues. The Court of Appeals’ decisions are final in about 95 percent of the 2,000 to 2,400 cases filed with the court annually, but about 5 percent are accepted by the Supreme Court for further review. The Court of Appeals will issue a published, unpublished, or “order” opinion on every case it considers. Each judge participates in about 300 cases annually. By law, the opinion must be issued within 90 days of oral arguments or, if there were no oral arguments, within 90 days of the court’s scheduled conference date. The 90-day deadline is the shortest mandated appellate court timeframe in the nation. The court further expedites decisions on child custody, mental health commitments and other matters in which the parties request an accelerated response. There are 16 judges at the Court of Appeals; they sit in three-judge panels and will travel to locations throughout Minnesota to hear oral arguments. The chief judge is presently Edward Toussaint Jr. Oral arguments are open to the public, and the court’s calendar is published online. MN District Courts Minnesota maintains trial courts throughout its 87 counties. These courts are organized into 10 judicial districts. Each county’s District Court is divided into numerous departments: Criminal and Civil courts; Family Court; juvenile Court; probate Court (for wills and estates); traffic and misdemeanor court; and Conciliation Court, for small claims of $7,500 or less. Specialty courts – or “problem-solving courts” – in some counties include Drug Court (19 of them statewide); two mental health courts; one truancy court in Blue Earth County; two community courts; and four teen courts. District Court calendars are available online. Minnesota Tax Court Minnesota Tax Court is a specialized, executive branch court established by the state legislature specifically to hear only tax-related cases. The court’s mission is to provide timely and equitable disposition of appeals of orders issued by the Commissioner of Revenue and local property tax valuations, classifications, equalizations or exemptions. All judges on the court have expertise in tax law and are asked to apply that expertise in a manner to assure that taxpayers are assessed only what they owe, and no more. Although Tax Court is located in the Minnesota Judicial Center, its three judges travel throughout the state to conduct their trials. The court’s decisions are searchable and links to information are provided for those litigants who wish to represent themselves, without a lawyer. Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals The Workers’ Compensation Court of Appeals was established as an independent agency of the executive branch of the state. It consists of five judges appointed to six-year terms by the governor and affirmed by the state Senate. The governor designates one member of the panel as the chief judge; presently this is Thomas L. Johnson. The chief judge is responsible for administration of the court. The WCCA, as it is known, has exclusive, statewide authority to review workers’ compensation decisions rendered by compensation judges at the Office of Administrative Hearings and certain cases decided by the Workers’ Compensation Division at the Department of Labor and Industry. A panel of three or five judges decides each appeal. A written decision must be issued within 90 days. The court’s decisions can be appealed directly to the Minnesota Supreme Court. |
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| Minnesota Online Court Web Sites and Public Record Databases | |||
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United States Bankruptcy Court - District of Minnesota United States District Court - District of Minnesota Minnesota Tax Court - Information on decisions, rules forms, pro se information and general information about the tax court. Minnesota Judicial Branch Court Calendars - Search Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and District Courts. Minnesota Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals - Search Workers' Compensation Decisions between 1995 and 2007. Minnesota Court of Appeals - Find information on judges and search significant court of appeals decisions. Minnesota Supreme Court - Search for oral arguments and find information on the justices and the Supreme Court in general. Minnesota Self-Help Center - Search information on car title problems, name changes, criminal record expungement, divorce laws, judgments and landlord and tenant disputes. Minnesota District Courts - District Maps with county lines for all 87 counties and 10 judicial districts. Minnesota State Law Library - Search opinion archives and catalog. |
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| Minnesota County Courthouses Phone Numbers and Addresses | |||
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