Kansas Court Case Lookup

In Kansas, a court case is a legal proceeding in which one party brings a dispute or allegation against another in a court of law. The Kansas Judiciary, which includes District Courts, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court, provides people with avenues to resolve court cases through a fair and impartial legal process based on the Kansas and United States Constitutions and laws. The state courts are fundamentally divided into trial and appellate courts.

The trial courts of Kansas, also known as district courts, are the trial courts of the state. In Kansas, there are also municipal courts - they operate and have limited authority within Kansas City. The district courts hear all civil and criminal cases at the trial level, including some appeals, for cases previously heard by the municipal courts.

On the other hand, the appellate courts consist of the Kansas Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal. The Courts of Appeal hear appeals of trial court decisions, whereas the Supreme Court of Kansas (the state's highest court) reviews the decisions of the Courts of Appeal and hears cases that exceed the jurisdiction of a Court of Appeal. Kansas's unified judicial system consists of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and the District Courts.

Typically, the majority of civil and criminal cases begin in district courts. In most cases, District Court decisions are appealed to the Court of Appeals, but in certain instances, they are transferred to the Supreme Court. Municipal courts in Kansas receive more than 300,000 case filings annually, while District Courts handle approximately 400,000 cases annually. Annually, Kansas appellate courts hear over 1,700 appeal cases and issue over 1,300 opinions.

Are Court Cases Public Records in Kansas?

Yes, court documents fall under the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA). The Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) grants the right to inspect and obtain copies of public records created or maintained by state and local government agencies in Kansas, unless prohibited by another law. According to KORA, it is a matter of public policy that public records are accessible to anyone. Kansas State defines a public record as any recorded information created or maintained by or in the possession of a public agency, regardless of its form or characteristics.

In Kansas, a requested record may be exempt from disclosure if it contains confidential information or if a judicial rule or federal or state law prohibits disclosure. Where disclosure of court record information is deemed to constitute an invasion of privacy, access to that portion of the record or the entire record may be restricted.

Court records exempted from disclosure in Kansas include:

Divorces
Grand jury proceedings
Parental bypass
Adoption records
Uniform interstate enforcement of domestic violence protection orders
Coroner inquests
Protection from stalking, sexual assault, or human trafficking
Juvenile offender proceedings
Most child in need of care and juvenile records
Certain criminal investigation records
Inquisition proceedings pursuant to K.S.A. 22-3101 through K.S.A. 22-3105
Guardianship and conservatorship cases
Parentage cases filed under the Kansas Parentage Act K.S.A. 23-2201 et seq
Expunged cases
Expunged criminal records
Protection from abuse

Public court records in Kansas that are frequently requested and accessible include:

Court budgets
Final judgments from civil and criminal cases
Certified oaths of office
Court case files and transcripts

How to Conduct a Kansas Court Case Lookup

Anyone can lookup a court case in Kansas, whether in person or online, the general public can access information about criminal and civil cases heard in Kansas courts. Kansas Courts website provides online access to case information of court records from Kansas District Courts. Therefore, case information for non-confidential cases can be assessed through portals provided by the Kansas judicial branch or the individual portals created by other Kansas District Courts. Through the Kansas eCourt Public Access Portal, the majority of District Courts provide case information. The District Courts of Shawnee, Johnson, and Sedgwick Counties each have their own portals for providing case information and court records. The state also provides more case information through its Appellate Case Search Portal.

The Kansas eCourt Public Access Portal using a centralized case management system provides case information from the 4th, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 19th, 21st, and 31st Judicial Districts. Requesters can perform a simple search for case information through the portal by entering the case number or name in last, first, or middle suffix format options. The online platform offers additional advanced filtering options for more precise search results by including the following:

Name of the attorney's bar association
Name of the attorney
Case cross-reference number
Citation number
Case type
Case status
Location

Currently, not all Kansas judicial districts are participating in the eCourts program. Three judicial districts provide online access to case information on their individual court websites. Court records can be searched for free on Shawnee and Johnson county-specific websites. On the Sedgwick platform, a fee of $1.50 per search and $1.50 per case retrieved for viewing is charged for Sedgwick county record searches.

In addition, the public has access to electronic copies of appellate case records through the Kansas Courts Appellate Case Search Tool. The portal enables users to search by appellate case number or case name. For a case search by appellate case number, a five- or six-digit appellate court case number is necessary. To conduct a search using the case name option, users must enter the name of a party or the name of the county.

If a public record is not accessible through public access portals, a requester can still locate it through a public access terminal at the courthouse where the case was filed. Statutorily, Kansas District Courts are required to maintain a public-accessible courthouse terminal for viewing and obtaining case records and events indices. In some cases, certain records might be inaccessible through the courthouse terminals, such are usually sealed cases and records.

In a case where an individual desires to have an actual court record or certified copies, the individual will need to visit the courthouse where the record is kept. On the Kansas Judicial Branch website, interested parties can view the locations of Kansas District Courts. In-person requesters will be required to submit the Court Record Request Form to the appropriate custodian of court records.

Lastly, because public records are considered accessible to United States citizens, they are accessible via both traditional government sources and third-party websites and organizations. Therefore, in addition to the official options listed above, a person may also obtain records from third-party websites. In many instances, the sites facilitate the search by removing geographical and technological constraints. This option is considered a good starting point when searching for specific or multiple records. To gain access to these records, interested parties are typically required to provide:

The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record
The name of the person listed in the record.

While third-party sites offer these services, they are not government-sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

Can I Get Kansas Court Case Documents Online?

Yes, a person can obtain case documents generated by Kansas courts online if the documents are considered public records and the court where the documents were generated is a participant in the Kansas eCourt Case Management System. Requesters should please note that case information and case records are different things. In Kansas, case information includes case-specific details. This would include the case number, the nature of the case, the parties involved, the names of the attorneys, the judge assigned, and the hearing dates, whereas case records contain the documents filed in the case. Requesters will be able to search case information via the public access portal; however, only records (documents) created after a court begins using the Kansas eCourt Case Management System will be accessible. In some instances, case information will be sealed or exempt from disclosure due to a state statute, judicial rule, court order, or case law. Occasionally, information regarding certain cases may not be accessible via the Kansas District Court Public Access Portal, but it will be accessible via a computer terminal in the courthouse.

How to Conduct a Kansas Court Case Search by Name

Anyone who wants to conduct a Kansas court search by name can simply access the online case information system maintained by the presiding court in Kansas. Typically, the system requires the requester to provide the last name of a case party in order to obtain results.

Furthermore, as earlier revealed, requesters in Kansas can also use the fee-based Kansas District Court Records Search Tool, where one can find information regarding Kansas District Court Records cases using the online Case Name Search Tool.

It is important to note that some courts in Shawnee, Johnson, and Sedgwick Counties offer separate portals to case information in their District Courts' court records. A requester residing in these counties may simply appear in person during business hours to conduct a free, name-based search at these courts.

What is a Court Case Number?

A court case number is the number assigned to a case when a petition is filed with the District Court Clerk. It is a unique identifier assigned by a Clerk's Office to a legal case. It appears on every official document associated with a case and is used to identify it throughout the court system (from filing to disposition). A case number may include letters, numbers, or special characters (such as a hyphen), and its format varies based on the court where the case was filed.

How to Conduct a Case Number Search in Kansas

A requester in Kansas may visit the courthouse of interest to conduct a free computer terminal search. In order to retrieve case information and documents from the system, the requester must have the relevant case number (or a case party's name if the case number is unknown). In addition, many Kansas courts provide remote electronic access to the general public via their websites. Thus, interested parties can visit the website of a presiding court to access its case management system, which will include a case number search function.

How to Remove Court Cases From Public Record in Kansas

A petitioner for record sealing or expungement must meet eligibility requirements. Eligibility for removal is determined by whether or not the state's statutes permit expungement of the record. To have a Kansas court case record expunged, the event must satisfy the requirements outlined in the statutes listed below.

Kansas Statute 12-4516 municipal courts and expungement of certain convictions, arrest records, and diversion agreements
Kansas Statute 21-6614 expungement of selected convictions, arrest records, and diversion agreements. (Kansas Statute 21-4619 prior to 7/1/11)
Kansas statute 22-2410 expunges arrest records
K.S.A. 38-2312, expungement of juvenile records

To expunge a criminal history record, a petition for expungement must be filed with the court that has jurisdiction over the incident. Following the filing of the petition, the court will determine whether the event is expungeable. If the expungement is approved, the court clerk will mail a certified copy of the expungement order to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI).

After the KBI receives the certified order of expungement, it takes approximately two to four weeks to process the expungement and update the criminal history record. It is the responsibility of the KBI to notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Kansas Secretary of Corrections, and any other Kansas law enforcement agency involved in the event. The KBI does not notify private agencies that perform background checks of expungements.

Here below are some needed clarifications, based on common concerns that people have about expungement of records in Kansas:

Expungement and Sealing of Records: An expungement seals the event from public view but does not remove it entirely from the record. Statutorily, only a select group of agencies may access expunged information. Requesters can see a complete list of these agencies by reviewing the statutes listed above.
Demands for Expungement and Offender Registration: An expungement only affects the criminal history record, not the offender registration record. It does not exempt a person from the requirement to register as an offender nor does it remove the information from the registration website for offenders. If a court has ordered a person to register, that person must continue to report to their local sheriff's office until the registration period is complete.
Expungement of a felony conviction: Expungement of a felony conviction does not guarantee eligibility to purchase a firearm: Even if the case has been expunged, state and federal laws may still prohibit the possession and/or purchase of a firearm, depending on the nature and circumstances of the crime.

How to Check a Court Case Status in Kansas

Checking the status of a case involves determining whether a particular case is still open or closed. Case parties and other interested parties can view the status of a Kansas court case online using the public case access tool available on the website of the presiding court. Generally, a case number or party's name is required to access this tool. However, a person may choose to visit or write to the court to obtain the needed information.

How to Find Supreme Court Case Decisions in Kansas

Kansas Supreme Court's decisions are categorized as public documents and made accessible to the public. In Kansas, Supreme Court decisions (officially known as "opinions") are typically located in the Opinions Section of the Kansas courts website. The public also has access to a searchable database containing the court's past decisions. A requester can simply search the database by inputting the Five/Six-Digit Appellate Case Number or by entering the Case Name and County in the other search option.

What Percentage of Court Cases Go to Trial in Kansas?

Approximately 500,000 cases are filed annually in Kansas District Courts (trial courts) to resolve legal disputes. However, only a small percentage of these cases are resolved by jury or court trials. The majority of the state's judicial business is handled in less formal settings, such as conference rooms, smaller hearing rooms, and the judge's chambers, hence the low proportion of full trials. It is in these less formal settings that most judges and court personnel perform preliminary hearings, docket calls, hearings on motions, settlements, and discovery conferences.

How Long Does a Court Case Last in Kansas?

While a court trial typically lasts only a few days, the pre-trial process and case preparation can take weeks or even months. In contrast to many other states where the legislature may not impose a standard timeframe for pre-trial and case preparation time frames, there is a standing law in Kansas for that. In Kansas, the statute of limitation for bringing a case to trial is 150 days, or 180 days if the defendant is not under supervision. If these cases are not tried within the allotted time, they may be dismissed.

How to File a Case in Court in Kansas?

Within the court system, "filing" refers to the initiation of an action to resolve a civil or criminal dispute using established legal procedures. To file a civil or small claims case in Kansas, an individual or organization (known as the plaintiff) must submit a complaint and other required legal documents to the court Clerk's Office and pay the filing fees. (Typically, the Clerk's Office is located in the county where the defendant resides or where the cause of action originated.)

It may be necessary for the plaintiff to first get a petition online before filling it out at the Clerk's Office and filing it or bringing it home to complete and file later. The petition must be either notarized or signed in the presence of the Court Clerk. Once a claim or case has been filed, the individual will be notified of a hearing date. The legal documents inform the court of the dispute and what the petitioner requires from the court. Without them, the court cannot preside over the case.

What Does It Mean if a Court Case Was Resolved Before the Trial Date?

If a court case was resolved prior to the trial date, it indicates that the court or case parties resolved the case in a manner other than a bench or jury trial. This alternative approach could involve:

Diversion program: A pre-trial sentencing procedure that permits a defendant in a less serious criminal case to forgo a formal trial and criminal conviction in exchange for completing a rehabilitation program and probation.
Plea bargain: When a criminal defendant chooses to plead guilty in exchange for lenient sentencing or the dismissal of certain charges.
Dismissal: When a case party requests or is ordered by the court to dismiss the case prior to a trial. Additionally, the court could issue an order dismissing a case. If a defendant's rights have been violated, this may be the case.
Mutual compromise: If a case is settled between the two opposing sides prior to trial, it is considered resolved and no further proceedings will occur.