Responsibilities
The Court Administrator’s Office has the following responsibilities:

• Maintain case records for civil, family, probate, traffic (misdemeanor/petty misdemeanor level offenses), criminal (gross misdemeanor/felony/serious felony offenses), juvenile and conciliation (often called Small Claims Court) cases.
• Jury Management - summon jurors from within the county using driver’s license records, voter records, and Minnesota identification card records. Jurors are available to the court for a period of 4 months and are notified by mail when their service is needed.
• Monitor files to verify that a person convicted of an offense completes the obligations of the sentence imposed by the judge. These obligations may include payment of fines and restitution (payments to a victim), completion of jail time, education or counseling such as alcohol education, anger management counseling, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Impact Panel.
• Collect case filing fees and fines. Filing fees and fines collected by court administration are distributed to the appropriate agency or fund each month (by Michael here). Distribution of fines and fees are controlled by Minnesota statute.
• Participate and keep records at all District Court hearings, including administering oaths to witnesses.
• Assist court customers and provide information on where to obtain court services.
• Prepare court orders under the direction of the judge, examples include:
  • Arrest Warrants
  • Subpoenas (an order requiring a person to appear at a hearing or to produce evidence)
  • Writs of Execution (a document that gives the sheriff authority to seize wages or bank accounts of someone who owes money)
  • Writs of Restitution (a document that gives the sheriff authority to remove someone from a residence or land owned by another).

Court Documents
With some exceptions, court files and court hearings are open to the public.

Court calendars, online fine/fee payment, court records, court forms, and much more information is available to the public online at the Minnesota Judicial Branch website.

Self-Help Workstation & Staff
A Self-Help workstation with a computer and direct-dial phone is available to the public in the Law Library at the Courthouse to find court information, print court forms, and to talk with Self-Help staff. The law library is open to the public during business hours, and provides free access for research and online legal information databases.

Our Mission
To provide justice through a system that assures equal access for the fair and timely resolution of cases and controversies.