Wayne County
Wayne County was created in 1796 by the acting territorial governor Winthrop Sargent. It was initially home to indigenous bands, English colonials, French traders, early Americans, and Africans. Following the American Revolution, Wayne County was transferred back to the United States by treaty. Wayne County has a population of 1.757 million, covering an area of 611.9 square miles.
The Michigan First District Court of Appeals, a district court, a circuit court, and a probate court serve Wayne County. The system is under the Third Judicial Circuit, also the state's largest circuit. It has 58 judges and three operating divisions. Courts in this jurisdiction preside over criminal, civil, and family matters. The district and circuit courts mainly handle criminal and civil cases. Municipal courts handle family or domestic relations cases and small claims disputes. The probate courts oversee the execution of ills, conservatorships, and guardianships.
Court records are documents created during proceedings. These include pleas, decrees, witness testimonies, indexes, dockets, case minutes, judgments, and appeals. Most court records are open for viewing or inspection. That is with the exemption of records restricted by the law, such as juvenile, mental health, or domestic relations cases. In Wayne County, the County Clerk is tasked with disbursing or handling criminal records as filed by the Third Judicial Circuit Court. Cases that entail claims over $25,000 involving negligence, personal injury, contractual disputes, employment discrimination, and bankruptcy are under the Civil Division. One option would be to visit the circuit court during business hours and view the records via the public terminals.
The court clerk in Wayne County provides access to the following types of case records.
- Criminal cases
- Civil Cases
- Probate Cases
- Small Claims Cases
- Traffic Cases
Interested parties may access court records through the Odyssey system. The link leads to a non-criminal case records link for civil cases. The criminal cases also have a separate link, allowing parties to search by defendant, case, citation, and attorney. There is also a state option, where one visits the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan's official site.
