Title XXXII — COURTS

478.001. Treatment court divisions, definitions, establishment, purpose — referrals to certified treatment programs required, exception — completion of treatment program, effect — adult treatment court — DWI court — family treatment court — juvenile treatment court — veterans tre…

478.003. Administration — commissioners, appointment, term, removal, powers, duties, qualifications, compensation — orders of commissioners, confirmation or rejection by judges, effect — assignment of judges outside circuit, when. — 1. In any judicial circuit of this state, a maj…

478.004. Meetings prior to treatment court sessions — criminal cases, defendant ordered to treatment court division for treatment, when — accepting participants from outside circuit — opioid treatment. — 1. The treatment court team shall, when practicable, conduct a meeting prior…

478.005. Conditions and criteria for referral — statements by participant not to be used as evidence, when — records, access to staff, closed, when. — 1. Each circuit court shall establish conditions for referral of proceedings to the treatment court division. Each treatment cour…

478.007. Alternative disposition of cases, court may be established — private probation services, when. — 1. Any circuit court may establish a DWI court within the treatment court division to provide an alternative for the judicial system to dispose of cases in which a person has…

478.009. Treatment courts coordinating commission established, members, meetings — duties — fund created. — 1. In order to coordinate the allocation of resources available to treatment courts established by section 478.001 throughout the state, there is hereby established a "Trea…

478.010. Election of circuit judges. — 1. Except as provided in Section 25 of Article V of the Constitution of Missouri, the circuit judges of the various judicial circuits shall be elected at the general elections as herein provided and at the general election every six years th…

478.011. Number of judicial circuits — This state is divided into forty-six judicial circuits, numbered consecutively from one to forty-six. ­­-------- (L. 2016 S.B. 585) Effective 2-18-16

478.012. Circuit court defined. — When the term "circuit court" is used in the statutes to refer to the location in which a case or proceeding may or shall be filed, that term shall mean any division of the circuit court in which the case or proceeding could be filed pursuant to …

478.013. Salaries of circuit judges — practice of or doing law business prohibited. — 1. Each judge of the circuit court shall receive an annual salary of seventy-nine thousand one hundred sixty-four dollars plus any salary adjustment provided after August 28, 1990, pursuant to s…

478.014. Judge of the circuit court, defined. — The term "judge of the circuit court" as used in section 478.013 means circuit judge, and does not include an associate circuit judge or municipal judge. ­­-------- (L. 1978 H.B. 1634) Effective 1-02-79

478.017. Travel allowance for circuit judges. — 1. Each circuit judge of a judicial circuit composed of a single county which now has or may hereafter have less than two hundred thousand inhabitants and in which circuit court is held in more than one place and each circuit and as…

478.018. Associate judges, circuit court, compensation. — Each associate circuit judge shall receive an annual salary of sixty-nine thousand seven hundred thirteen dollars plus any salary adjustment provided after August 28, 1990, pursuant to section 476.405. ­­-------- (L. 1979 …

478.019. Judge of probate division, ex officio circuit or associate circuit judge, when, salary, how payable. — Each judge of the probate division of the circuit court shall also be an ex officio circuit judge of the circuit for such additional classes of cases as may be assigned…

478.020. Expenses of judge when serving outside regular circuit. — Each circuit and associate circuit judge when temporarily serving, transferred or assigned as a judge of a court sitting outside of such judge's own circuit, in addition to the salary and expense money herein prov…

478.023. Salary and expenses, how paid. — All of said salaries and expenses herein provided for circuit and associate circuit judges shall be paid out of the state treasury and shall constitute the total compensation for all duties performed by, and all expenses of, said judges, …

478.035. Circuit courts — counties and City of St. Louis to provide quarters. — The counties and the city of St. Louis shall provide suitable quarters for the respective circuit courts, including all divisions thereof except divisions presided over by municipal judges. Such quart…

478.038. Circuit number nine, election to maintain quarters for circuit court, form of question. — 1. In circuit number nine, the county commission of the county of Linn may submit the issue of whether to maintain quarters for the circuit court at a location other than at the cou…

478.063. Juvenile divisions designated. — In all judicial circuits of this state, except in jurisdictions that have a family court as provided in sections 487.010 to 487.190 the circuit judges shall be vested with power to designate by local circuit court rule and concurred in by…

478.070. Jurisdiction of circuit courts. — The circuit courts shall have original jurisdiction over all cases and matters, civil and criminal. Such courts may issue and determine original remedial writs. ­­-------- (RSMo 1939 § 2100, A. 1949 S.B. 1140, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1634) Effect…

478.072. Preserving record, case assigned to associate circuit judge, how, approval required — supreme court to prescribe procedures and forms. — 1. In any case assigned to an associate circuit judge to be heard upon the record as authorized by law, the associate circuit judge sh…

478.073. Circuit realignment plan authorized — judicial conference duties — effective date — minimum number of circuits — publication by the revisor. — 1. (1) As set forth in this section, the general assembly authorizes the judicial conference of the state of Missouri, as establ…

478.1000. Criminal nonsupport courts authorized — referral of cases — allocation of resources — fund created, use of moneys. — 1. Criminal nonsupport courts may be established by any circuit court to provide an alternative for the criminal justice system to dispose of cases which…

478.191. Authority for establishment of circuits, repealed, effective when. — The repeal of sections 478.075, 478.077, 478.080, 478.085, 478.087, 478.090, 478.093, 478.095, 478.097, 478.100, 478.103, 478.105, 478.107, 478.110, 478.113, 478.115, 478.117, 478.120, 478.123, 478.125,…

478.205. Circuit court, continual session — when term required, time commencing. — The circuit court of each county and in the city of St. Louis shall be considered as being in continual session, and it shall not be necessary for a term or special term of any such court to be con…

478.206. Writs and other processes returned to first term, when, effect. — When any writ or other process is made returnable to any stated term of any court of record and the time of holding such term shall be changed by the legislature or by local court rule, such process shall …

478.220. Circuit and associate circuit judges, jurisdiction, restrictions. — Circuit judges and associate circuit judges may hear and determine all cases and matters within the jurisdiction of their circuit courts, subject however, to the following restrictions: (1) Circuit judge…

478.230. Municipal judges, jurisdiction — cases subject to transfer. — A municipal judge may hear and determine municipal ordinance violation cases of the municipality or municipalities making provision for the particular municipal judge. The provisions of this section authorizin…

478.240. Presiding judge, term, selection procedures — chief justice of supreme court may remove presiding judge, designate acting judge — authority to assign cases, exception — judge hears case not properly assigned, effect. — 1. The presiding judge of each circuit which is prov…

478.245. Circuit courts may adopt local court rules — procedure — restrictions — role of associate circuit judges. — 1. Subject to the provisions of Article V of the Constitution and authority exercised under such provisions, the circuit judges of the circuit may adopt local cour…

478.248. Availability of a judge for bail purposes, when, local court rules to ensure. — The circuit courts of this state by local rule shall adopt a procedure ensuring the availability at all hours and times of a circuit judge or associate circuit judge within the circuit for th…

478.250. Procedure for filing cases, docketing, assignment, hearing. — 1. Until otherwise provided by court rule authorized by the constitution or by court order authorized by law, cases shall continue to be filed in the same places and the same filing, docketing and assignment o…

478.255. Disqualification of judge, reassignment procedure — applicability to probate judges. — 1. When the presiding judge assigns an associate circuit judge to sit as a circuit judge in a particular case and, thereafter, the associate circuit judge is disqualified from hearing …

478.260. Probate division of circuit court established, jurisdiction. — 1. There shall be a probate division of the circuit court in each county and in the city of St. Louis. 2. In probate matters, the circuit judge or associate circuit judge serving in the probate division shall…

*478.265. Commissioner of the probate division of circuit court, appointment, qualifications, powers, duties, compensation (counties over 400,000). — The judge of the probate division of the circuit court of any county which has more than four hundred thousand inhabitants may app…

478.266. Probate division, commissioner authorized, certain counties, compensation, commissioner's orders, rejection or confirmation — deputy commissioner, certain counties and cities, appointment, term — powers and duties. — 1. On and after January 2, 1979, each county of the fi…

*478.267. Probate division of circuit court, commissioner authorized, compensation, term — commissioner's orders, rejection or confirmation of (St. Louis County). — Notwithstanding the provisions of section 478.265, on and after January 2, 1979, in each county of the first class …

478.268. Probate division commissioner authorized, thirty-first judicial circuit, term, compensation — commissioner's orders, rejection or confirmation. — Notwithstanding the provisions of section 478.265, in the thirty-first judicial circuit, the circuit court en banc may appoin…

*478.270. Judge or clerk not to prepare wills or settlements — letters revoked, when. — 1. No judge or clerk of the probate division of the circuit court shall draw or witness any will or make any settlement for any administrator, executor or guardian over which his court has jur…

478.320. Associate circuit judges, authorized number — population determination — election — restrictions on practice of law or paid public appointment — residency requirement. — 1. In counties having a population of thirty thousand or less, there shall be one associate circuit j…

478.330. Additional circuit judges authorized, when. — 1. When an annual judicial performance report submitted pursuant to section 477.405 indicates for three consecutive calendar years the need for two or more full-time judicial positions in any judicial circuit there shall be o…

478.370. Divisions of Circuit No. 5, number — when judges elected. — 1. There shall be four circuit judges in the fifth judicial circuit consisting of the counties of Buchanan and Andrew. These judges shall sit in divisions numbered one, two, three and four. 2. The circuit judge …

478.376. Circuit No. 6, number of judges. — There shall be three circuit judges in the sixth judicial circuit. ­­-------- (L. 2025 S.B. 218)

478.385. Circuit No. 7, number of judges. — There shall be four circuit judges in the seventh judicial circuit consisting of the county of Clay. ­­-------- (L. 1958 2d Ex. Sess. p. 165 § 1, A.L. 1965 p. 642, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1634) Effective 1-02-79

478.387. Circuit No. 22, number of judges. — There shall be twenty-four circuit judges in the twenty-second judicial circuit consisting of the city of St. Louis. ­­-------- (RSMo 1939 § 2213, A.L. 1965 p. 643, A.L. 1971 S.B. 89, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1634) Prior revisions: 1929 § 2111; …

478.400. General term — business, how distributed and expedited. — Said court may classify, arrange, distribute and assign the business thereof, and the causes instituted therein, among the several judges thereof, in such manner and at such time as the majority of such judges may…

478.422. Friend of court in child support matters, appointment, compensation (St. Louis County and St. Louis City). — 1. The circuit judges of the circuit courts of the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County may appoint at least one "friend of the court" who shall be an attorney …

478.428. Presiding judge and circuit clerk St. Louis City to meet with mayor and budget director to discuss court's estimate of expenditures for year — estimate to be filed when. — 1. The presiding judge of each circuit court in a city not within a county, or the presiding judge'…

*478.434. Fines, penalties and forfeitures, to be paid into city treasury, reports. — The circuit court of the city of St. Louis shall have power and is hereby required to see that all officers in the city of St. Louis, charged with the collection of fines, penalties and forfeitu…

*478.435. Register to furnish names of collectors to court. — The register of St. Louis City shall, from time to time, as changes may occur, furnish to said court the names of all the officers contemplated by section 478.434. ­­-------- (L. 1978 H.B. 1634) Effective 1-02-79 *Form…