Finney County
Finney County, Kansas, was created in 1883 and named after the then Lieutenant Governor of Kansas, David Finney. It has a land area of 1,302 square miles, which makes it the second-largest county by land area in Kansas. According to the 2020 US census, it has a population of 38,470, of which the majority (51.4%) are Hispanic. Garden City is its county seat and largest city. The people of Finney County are served by a district court and two municipal courts.
The Finney County District Court is the county's highest court, and it has general jurisdiction over all criminal and civil cases. It hears civil, criminal, domestic relations, juvenile, and probate matters, such as felonies, misdemeanors, traffic offenses, civil equity cases, civil torts, malpractice lawsuits, divorces, annulments, juvenile delinquencies, truancy, wills, estates, trusts, and guardianships. It also hears appeals from the county's municipal courts.
In Finney County, municipal courts deal with matters specific to each municipality, mostly traffic infractions and violations of local ordinances. The two municipal courts in Finney County are in Holcomb and Garden City.
Finney County public court records are court documents, exhibits, and files produced by the county's courts and available for public access in text, audio, or video formats. These records include warrants, court transcripts, docket entries, court schedules, court filings, writs, court proceedings, depositions, sentences, motions, orders, and court rulings. The Finney County District Court Clerk maintains all public court records from the District Court, while each municipal court clerk keeps their court records.
Unless sealed by court orders, the following types of court records can be accessed by the public in Finney County:
- Family Court Records
- Criminal Court Records
- Civil Court Records
- Traffic Violation Records
- Probate Court Records
The Kansas Judicial Branch District Court Records Search portal allows members of the public to search for Finney County District Court's public records. They can also request copies of the county's public court records in writing from the Kansas Judicial Branch. Additionally, anyone can visit the county courts to access their nonconfidential court records.
