Jackson County Circuit Court Overview
Missouri is a circuit-court state, and Jackson County is the 16th Judicial Circuit. The Circuit Court is the primary state trial court for local civil cases, criminal cases, family matters, juvenile work, probate, treatment court, associate circuit matters, small claims, traffic cases filed in the circuit system, and municipal divisions. Appeals from Jackson County trial-court matters generally move to the Missouri Court of Appeals, with the Supreme Court of Missouri above it for cases in that court's jurisdiction.
The 16th Judicial Circuit home page is the county court's main public gateway for court notices, Case.net access, eFiling, courthouse information, ADA information, and department links. Presiding Judge Kevin D. Harrell is listed in Division 18, and Court Administrator Beverly A. Newman is listed through the court administration page.
The image manifest assigns the Western District of Missouri federal court page to this Jackson County Circuit Court page because federal and state court systems are often confused.
Federal district and bankruptcy cases use federal systems, while Jackson County Circuit Court cases use Missouri court access channels.
Jackson County Circuit Court Buildings
The 16th Judicial Circuit uses several Jackson County court buildings. The main downtown courthouse is in Kansas City. Eastern Jackson County users also have the Independence courthouse, while criminal and family operations use other named court facilities. Security is a real visit issue: everyone entering the Kansas City courthouse, Eastern Jackson County courthouse, Albert Riederer Community Justice Complex, or Family Justice Center must pass a security checkpoint, and no weapons are allowed in court buildings or on county property.
| Building or office | Address | Phone or notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Courthouse | 415 East 12th Street, Kansas City, MO 64106 | Main court address; county main line 816-881-3000; jury 816-881-3602. |
| Eastern Jackson County Courthouse | 308 West Kansas Avenue, Independence, MO 64050 | Jury office 816-881-1619 or 816-881-4568; County Municipal Court also located here. |
| Albert Riederer Community Justice Complex | 1315 Locust Street, Kansas City, MO 64106 | Criminal Records Kansas City 816-881-4350; bonds during business hours. |
| Family Justice Center | 625 East 26th Street, Kansas City, MO 64108 | Family Court Division information 816-474-3606. |
The Kansas City federal courthouse page is a separate courthouse reference for federal Western District cases.
That federal courthouse address can be relevant for federal cases, but it is not where Jackson County Circuit Court case copies are requested.
Jackson County Circuit Divisions
The official directory lists circuit divisions, associate circuit divisions, family court commissioner divisions, treatment court, probate officers, and municipal divisions. The research file captured a selected table of numbered divisions and local municipal courts. Division assignments and physical courtroom details can change, so the court directory remains the controlling contact source for current room and calendar information.
| Court number | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division 1 | Circuit division, Sarah A. Castle | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-6401 |
| Division 2 | Circuit division, Kenneth R. Garrett III | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-4402 |
| Division 3 | Circuit division, Jerri J. Zhang | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3603 |
| Division 4 | Circuit division, Patrick C. Edwards | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3604 |
| Division 5 | Circuit division, James F. Kanatzar | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-4405 |
| Division 6 | Circuit division, Michelle L. Cocayne | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3606 |
| Division 7 | Circuit division, John Gromowsky | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3607 |
| Division 8 | Circuit division, Bryan E. Round | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3608 |
| Division 9 | Circuit division, Joel P. Fahnestock | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3609 |
| Division 10 | Circuit division, Marty W. Seaton | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3610 |
| Division 11 | Circuit division, Adam L. Caine | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3611 |
| Division 12 | Circuit division, Jennifer Phillips | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3612 |
| Division 13 | Circuit division, Charles H. McKenzie | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3613 |
| Division 14 | Probate, Lauren D. Barrett | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3614 |
| Division 15 | Circuit division, Jalilah Otto | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3615 |
| Division 16 | Circuit division, Jessica Agnelly | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-4416 |
| Division 17 | Circuit division, Cory L. Atkins | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-4417 |
| Division 18 | Presiding Judge Kevin D. Harrell | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3618 |
| Division 19 | Family Court Administrative Judge Mark A. Styles, Jr. | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3759 |
| Division 25 | Associate circuit, Abbie Rothermich | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3679 |
| Division 26 | Associate circuit, R. Travis Willingham | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3685 |
| Division 27 | Associate circuit, Kea S. Bird-Riley | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3691 |
| Division 28 | Associate circuit, Jeffrey C. Keal | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-4606 |
| Division 29 | Associate circuit, Janette Rodecap | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3734 |
| Division 31 | Associate circuit, Mary F. Weir | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3542 |
| Division 32 | Associate circuit, Kyndra J. Stockdale | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-4514 |
| Division 50 | Treatment Court, Tiffany D. Gregg | 16th Judicial Circuit facilities | 816-881-3304 |
| County Municipal Court Division 301 | County ordinance violations, Judge James A. Witteman Jr. | 308 West Kansas Avenue, Independence, MO 64050 | 816-881-1697 |
| Kansas City Municipal Court | City ordinance cases | 511 E. 11th Street, Kansas City, MO | 816-513-2700 |
| Independence Municipal Court | City ordinance violations, Garry L. Helm and Susan Watkins | Independence Municipal Court | 816-325-7230 automated |
Jackson County Circuit vs Municipal
Jackson County's lower-court structure is part of the same Missouri circuit system, but the access points are different. Circuit divisions handle broad trial-court work. Associate circuit and small claims divisions handle many lower-value, preliminary, or assigned matters. Municipal divisions handle city or county ordinance cases, including Kansas City Municipal Court, Independence Municipal Court, and Jackson County Municipal Court Division 301.
| Point of comparison | Circuit Court | Associate Circuit / Small Claims | Municipal Divisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Primary state trial court for major civil, criminal, family, probate, juvenile, and related matters. | Division within the circuit for associate circuit work and small claims. | City and county ordinance cases within the circuit structure. |
| Jackson County examples | Divisions 1-19 and specialized divisions. | Divisions 25-32 and small claims functions. | Kansas City, Independence, and County Municipal Court Division 301. |
| Record access | Case.net and circuit departments. | Case.net and circuit departments. | Case.net or municipal payment/search portals where local rules direct. |
| Common records | Civil, criminal, domestic, probate, family, juvenile, and treatment court files. | Associate circuit cases, small claims, protection-order hearings, and assigned matters. | Traffic, code, and local ordinance cases. |
Jackson County Circuit Case Movement
A case moves through the Jackson County system based on case type. Civil matters begin with a petition and service, then move through answer, motions, discovery, mediation where ordered or used, trial, judgment, and appeal. Criminal cases can begin after arrest or charging review, then move through first appearance, charging document, arraignment, pretrial motions, plea or trial, disposition, sentencing, and possible appeal. Probate and family matters have their own filing steps and access rules.
Criminal flow: Arrest or referral › Charges filed › First appearance › Arraignment › Pretrial › Plea or trial › Disposition › Sentencing › Appeal
Civil flow: Petition filed › Service › Answer › Motions › Discovery › Mediation or conference › Trial › Judgment › Appeal
Case activity can usually be checked through Missouri Case.net, while certified copies and sealed-file questions go to the correct circuit department. For full case-search steps, use the Jackson County court records access path.
Jackson County Court Divisions
The 16th Judicial Circuit is specialized. The directory lists circuit judges, associate circuit judges, family court commissioners, Probate Division officers, and Treatment Court Division 50. Probate Division Commissioner Amy B. DeGraeve and Deputy Probate Division Commissioner Kelly J. Willyard are listed for probate work. Division 19 is marked as Family Court Administrative Judge, and Division 50 is Treatment Court. This division structure is why the right department matters as much as the courthouse address.
Federal electronic filing and records systems are separate. The Western District CM/ECF system is for federal district court filings.
Missouri circuit filings and copies stay with the state court system, not the federal CM/ECF system.
Jackson County Federal Court Distinction
Some Kansas City court matters are federal, not Jackson County Circuit Court matters. Federal civil, criminal, bankruptcy, and appellate records do not use the 16th Judicial Circuit clerk departments. The Western District of Missouri, the federal bankruptcy court, federal CM/ECF, bankruptcy CM/ECF, PACER, and the U.S. Marshals or U.S. Attorney sources are separate from county circuit records.
The Western District bankruptcy court page is assigned in the manifest as a federal court reference for Jackson County court researchers.
Bankruptcy files are federal records, so they should not be requested from Jackson County Circuit Court departments.
The Western District bankruptcy CM/ECF system is another separate federal records system assigned in the image manifest.
That distinction helps keep Missouri circuit court searches separate from federal bankruptcy searches.
Note: Jackson County Circuit Court is the 16th Judicial Circuit; federal district and bankruptcy courts use separate federal access systems.