Morton County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Morton County was created on January 8, 1873, and named for Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton, a U.S. Republican party politician. It has an estimated population of 33,192 people as of 2022. Its government seat is Mandan which also is the largest city in Morton County. The District Court and four Municipal Courts have laid down principles and rules for running the legal affairs of Morton County to establish a law-abiding society for Morton County residents.

The District Court in Morton is part of the South Central Judicial District and serves as the juvenile court for the residents. It has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal cases and cases involving minors who are unruly or delinquent. It hears children in need of protection, termination of parental rights, and guardianship cases. In addition, it has general jurisdiction over civil cases and acts as an Appellate Court to the Municipal Courts in the county. The Municipal Courts adjudicate litigation cases in the areas of local ordinance violations, Class B misdemeanors, non-criminal traffic offenses, infractions, building code violations, curfew violations, and traffic violations within each city limits. The following are the Municipal Courts in Morton County:

• Flasher Municipal Court
• Hebron Municipal Court
• Mandan Municipal Court
• New Salem Municipal Court

The District Court Clerk/Clerk of Courts is responsible for court record keeping, organizing, and supervising all personnel assigned to its office. The Clerk is also responsible for developing office operational procedures associated with District Court cases involving criminal, civil, traffic, and other cases filed within the District Court. On the North Dakota Court System website or at the Morton County Courthouse, the public has access to court records. Interested parties are required to submit applications that describe the desired records and pay applicable fees. Child adoption and juvenile court records are sensitive information, therefore, they are sealed from public inspection. According to the North Dakota Court System Annual Report, a total of 29,793 were filed while 32,656 cases were disposed of in the south-central district (housing Morton County) in 2023. There was a slight difference in 2022, with 26,280 filed, 4,290 cases reopened, and 30,778 cases disposed. This suggests that approximately 25,000 cases are filed yearly. The number of cases filed in the south-central district in 2023 include:

• civil cases - 6,125
• small claims - 542
• criminal - 5,596
• traffic - 17, 191
• juvenile - 339

The North Dakota county court system which comprises the District and Municipal Courts applies the rule of law towards all cases brought to court premises. This is significant to the growth and credence of the judicial system. The Clerk of Courts facilitates the request for and inspection of court records in the county, in return, this exhibits the practice of transparency and integrity in Morton County.