St. Mary County
Located in the southern region of Louisiana, St. Mary Parish was founded in 1811 and named after the mother of Jesus, Saint May. its total area of 1,119 square miles is almost equally divided between land and water. Its water bodies cover 564 square miles (50% of the total area. According to the 2020 US census, there were 49,406 persons living within the parish. Morgan City is its largest city, while Franklin is its parish seat. The people of St. Mary Parish are served by the District, Justice of the Peace, City, and Mayor's Courts.
The St. Mary Parish 16th Judicial District Court is the highest entity within the parish, and it manages all cases outside what is the jurisdiction for other courts within the parish. It has exclusive jurisdiction over felonies and cases involving property disputes. It also handles domestic relations, select misdemeanor cases, and civil equity cases. Justice of the Peace courts in St. Mary Parish handle misdemeanors, peace bonds, small claims limited to $5,000, evictions, weddings, motor vehicle title disputes, and preliminary felony hearings. There are eight justice of the peace wards in different cities in the Parish.
Morgan City and Franklin City Courts are the two city courts in St. Mary Parish. They hear misdemeanors, traffic offenses, some civil cases, small claims, and city code violations. Mayor's Courts in St. Mary Parish hear traffic infractions and violations of municipal ordinances. The parish's three Mayor's Courts are in Baldwin, Berwick, and Patterson.
St. Mary Parish public court records consist of docket listings, court filings, warrants, writs, depositions, transcripts, orders, court proceedings, motions, and judgments from the courts in the parish. These records are generated in the parish's court and can be accessed by the public. The St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court maintains public court records for the parish courts, and clerks of the City and Mayor's Courts maintain records from their courts.
St. Mary Parish provides access to the following types of court records, provided they are not sealed by court orders:
- Criminal Case Records
- Probate Case Records
- Civil Case Records
- Traffic Case Records
- Family Law Case Records
The public can register to view non-confidential court records through an online portal maintained by the St. Mary Parish Clerk of Courts. They can also contact the St. Mary Parish Clerk of Court and the clerks of other courts to view and request public court records from them.
