A municipal court is a court with limited jurisdiction over criminal charges and civil matters within its area. These courts can be located at the county or city tier.
Monroe City Municipal Court INformation
Court: Monroe City Municipal Court
Address: “City Hall 109 2nd Street, PO Box 67, Monroe City, MO 63456”
Phone: 573-735-4585 ext. 225
City: Monroe City
County: Monroe
State: Missouri
What is the purpose of the Monroe City Municipal Court?
Municipal Courts are routinely called “courts of limited jurisdiction.” This means that they work with minor criminal charges, civil cases, and traffic violations. Courts like Monroe City Municipal Court are the first level of court for this group of matters.
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 divorce or other family matters, personal injury, more serious criminal charges, or lawsuits.
County courts have the jurisdiction to deal with misdemeanors and civil matters that can’t exceed the amount of $15k, while the circuits courts handle felonies and bigger civil cases.
TYPES OF Matters HEARD IN A MUNICIPAL COURT in Monroe City, Missouri
Municipal courts are the bottom rung of courts in the United States. They are usually found within the jurisdiction where they are located, but some jurisdictions share municipal courts with other municipalities.
This can be done to better assist their population or to save money on overhead costs. The cases that may be heard by a municipal court vary depending on the municipality, but typically include traffic violations, low level criminal charges and code infractions.
You will not find a standard for what establishes a misdemeanor charge versus a felony crime, but generally speaking felonies would require more time in jail than misdemeanor charges and fines may also be higher for felonies. Traffic violations usually result in points against your driver’s license as well
How are cases handled in the municipal court in Monroe City?
Magistrates administer hearings to determine:
- Probable cause for an arrest
- Set bail amounts and the conditions of release
- Conduct arraignment hearings when charges are filed against suspects by police officers
- Distribute search warrants to law enforcement officers in order to protect evidence from crime locations
- start preliminary examinations to understand if there is enough evidence to issue a charge
The typical process of a Municipal Court Case
Step One: Issuance of Summons
Step Two: Show Up before Judge or Magistrate
Municipal Court Penalties in Monroe City, MO
Penalties change often, which is why it’s best to speak with licensed lawyer near you. The material below represents common penalties, but may not be 100% accurate for the Monroe City Municipal Court.
A violation is an offense that has a penalty of $500 or below, while a misdemeanor crime can have penalties up to $1000 or one year in local 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 license for it then you will be fined up to $2,000 or spend up to six months in jail.
Monroe City Municipal Court Records
Municipal Court records from a municipal court could be difficult to find because they are not always stored in one place or system. The records that an individual might need to depend on the type of matter they have in front of the court, where it’s at in the process, and what type of information is needed by law to be present.
FAQs ABOUT the Monroe City Municipal Court
What is municipal court in Monroe City, Missouri?
In Missouri, the municipal court is a lower court with civil and criminal matters within a town or municipality. Municipal courts will have a small area of influence and have limited authority as well, dealing only with petty offenses and misdemeanor crimes.
What does the municipal court handle in Monroe City, Missouri?
Depending on the scope 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 Monroe City Municipal Court have?
The count of judges depends on the municipality’s size.
How are cases heard in municipal courts in Missouri?
A municipal court judge may be either elected or appointed to serve for a set term of years or until they retire. Judges are commonly chosen by the people with each precinct’s results weighted according to population. Municipal judges are often not attorneys but have some legal education and must finish multiple hours of continuing material every year to maintain their licenses.