By Valerie Hartman
Public Information Officer
16th Judicial Circuit

The Jackson County Circuit Court is making adjustments to insure that the Court can operate as effectively as possible as repairs are made to the downtown courthouse at 415 E. 12 Street, Kansas City. The courthouse is presently closed due to a water line break that damaged the building.
However, the closing at the Kansas City courthouse does not affect the court’s operations at the Eastern Jackson County Courthouse in Independence at 308 W. Kansas, nor the Family Justice Center at 625 E. 26th St., nor the Criminal Justice Building at 1315 Locust. All of these court facilities remain open and cases at these locations will proceed as scheduled.

Court hearings scheduled at the downtown courthouse will be moved to alternate locations when possible. The Circuit Court is working with the Kansas City Municipal Court to move certain dockets and cases to the Municipal Court facilities at 511 E. 11 St., Kansas City.

The Court will be sending out an update each day on where hearings will be held the following day until the downtown courthouse is reopened. Notices will be placed on the doors at the downtown courthouse and the Court’s website. In addition, the judges and their staffs will be working with attorneys to reschedule cases.

For Tuesday, February 5, the following judges will hear cases at the Kansas City Municipal Court located at 511 E. 11 St., Kansas City. The Municipal Court is located a half block north of the downtown Circuit Court. The time of the scheduled cases will not change. Just the location.
Tuesday, 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. cases
Division 26, Judge Atkins
Division 29, Judge Rodecap
Division 31, Judge Weir
(more)
Tuesday afternoon cases
Division 26, Judge Atkins
Division 31, Judge Weir

On Tuesday, February 5, the following division will hear cases at the Criminal Justice Building, 1315 Locust. A half block south of the courthouse.
Tuesday at 9:00 a.m.
Division 25, Judge Standridge
Information about court hearings that have been cancelled will be available on Missouri case.net in the future as court hearings are rescheduled. In addition, litigants can call the records staff in Independence for assistance. Those phones numbers are:

Civil Records 816-881-4474
Criminal Records 816-881-4501 or 816-881-3141
Probate Records 816-881-4552

Approximately 95 percent of court employees are working out of other locations in order to keep up with the timely filing of court documents, case processing, and the processing of monetary reimbursements for items such as bonds.

Last Friday when the courthouse was initially closed, court administrators moved the adult abuse hearings to the Criminal Justice Building for today’s hearings. Jurors assigned to the Kansas City location were cancelled. And, trials scheduled downtown were moved to Independence.

“We are sorry for the disruption this is causing to the litigants, attorneys, public and our employees,” said Presiding Judge David M. Byrn. “We will continue to do the best we can in providing justice to those who have accessed the Court for help in solving their disputes. Unfortunately, we do not have enough courtrooms in other locations to move all of the cases that are scheduled at the downtown courthouse.”