A municipal court is a court with restrictive jurisdiction over criminal charges and civil disputes within its location. These courts can be located at the county or city level.
Eskridge Municipal Court INformation
Court: Eskridge Municipal Court
Address: “110 South Main Street, PO Box 156, Eskridge, KS 66423”
Phone: 785-449-2621
City: Eskridge
County: Wabaunsee
State: Kansas
What is the role of the Eskridge Municipal Court?
Municipal Courts are often called “courts of limited jurisdiction.” This means that they work with minor crimes, civil disputes, and traffic incidents. Courthouses like Eskridge Municipal Court are the first level of court for these types of cases.
In other situations, the purpose of a county court is to deal with a large number of civil disputes within the respective region. Most cases involve family law matters, personal injury, more serious criminal infractions, or breaches of contract.
County courts have the jurisdiction to deal with misdemeanors and civil matters that can not exceed the amount of $15,000.00, while the circuits courts handle felonies and larger civil cases.
TYPES OF Matters HEARD IN A MUNICIPAL COURT in Eskridge, Kansas
Municipal courts are the bottom rung of courthouses in the United States. They are usually found within the jurisdiction where they are located, but some locales share municipal courts with other municipalities.
This can be done to better service their population or to save money on administrative costs. The matters that may be heard by a municipal court depend on the municipality, but typically include traffic violations, criminal misdemeanors and code violations.
You will not find a standard for what makes a misdemeanor versus a felony case, but generally speaking felonies would require more time in jail than misdemeanor crimes and fines may also be higher for felonies. Traffic violations usually result in points against your driver’s license as well
what is the procedure for cases in the municipal court in Eskridge?
Judges administer hearings to determine:
- Probable cause for an arrest
- Set bail amounts and terms of release
- Conduct arraignment hearings when charges are filed against suspects by police officers
- Issue search warrants to police officers in order to seize evidence from crime locations
- start preliminary inquiries to determine if there is enough evidence to mount a charge
The Process of a Municipal Court Case
Step One: Issuance of Summons
Step Two: Appearance before Judge or Magistrate
Municipal Court Penalties in Eskridge, KS
Penalties change often, which is why it’s good to speak with licensed lawyer near you. The material below represents common penalties, but may not be accurate for the Eskridge Municipal Court.
A violation is an offense that has a penalty of $500 or less, while a misdemeanor can possess penalties up to $1000 or one year in jail. A person’s driving privileges may be suspended for six months if they receive three speeding tickets within 12 months.
The penalties for different crimes in municipal courts vary depending on the severity of an crimes. For example, if you are caught with marijuana without having a prescription for it then you will be fined up to $2k or spend up to six months in jail.
Eskridge Municipal Court Records
Municipal Court records from a municipal court may be difficult to find because they are not always stored in one location or system. The records that a person might need to depend on the type of matter they have before the court, where it’s at in the process, and what type of information is required by law to be available.
Questions ABOUT the Eskridge Municipal Court
What is municipal court in Eskridge, Kansas?
In Kansas, the municipal court is a lower level with civil and criminal jurisdiction within a city or municipality. Municipal courts will have a small jurisdiction and have limited authority as well, dealing only with petty offenses and misdemeanors.
What does the municipal court handle in Eskridge, Kansas?
Depending on the size of the municipality, a municipal court can handle a civil division (cases with less than $15,000 at issue), a traffic/criminal division, or a housing and environmental division. Serious cases/crimes are deal with by higher authorities.
How many judges does the Eskridge Municipal Court have?
The count of judges depends on the municipality’s size.
How are cases heard in municipal courts in Kansas?
A municipal courthouse judge may be either elected or appointed to serve for a set term of years or until retirement. Judges are commonly chosen by the people with each precinct’s results evaluated based on the number of people. Municipal judges are generally not attorneys but have some legal education and must complete multiple hours of ongoing courses every year to maintain their credentials.