Property Case Search - Cerro Gordo County District Courts (2024)

FAQs

What do court case numbers mean in Iowa? ›

Iowa cases start with a series of letters that describe the case type, followed by numbers. The numbers are assigned based upon the county in which the case is filed and the order in which the case is filed.

Magistrates have jurisdiction over simple misdemeanors, county and municipal infractions, small claims, evictions, and certain involuntary commitment matters. Magistrates have authority to issue search warrants and conduct preliminary hearings.

In Iowa, there are two federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction.

The State of Iowa is divided into two judicial districts - the Northern District and the Southern District (headquarters in Des Moines). The Northern District of the U.S. Attorney's Office headquarters is located in Cedar Rapids with a staffed branch office in Sioux City.

You may find information about your case by searching Iowa Courts Online on the Iowa Judicial Branch website at: https://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp//SelectFrame. On the right side of the page, under “Trial Court,” click on “Case Search.”

Local Court

In other states and territories the lower court is called the Magistrates Court. Local Court hearings are presided over by judicial officers called magistrates. (Judicial officers in higher courts are called judges or justices).

Subject matter jurisdiction is the power “'of a court to hear and determine cases of the general class to which the proceedings in question belong, not merely the particular case then occupying the court's attention.

Magistrates have jurisdiction over simple misdemeanors, including scheduled violations, county and municipal.

Nearly all cases begin in the district (trial) court and there is one district court in every county in Iowa. The district court has general jurisdiction of civil, criminal, juvenile, and probate matters in the state.

How often are Iowa courts online updated? ›

Whenever you eFile a case to the court, the case status is immediately updated to reflect its progress.

The federal court system has three main levels: district courts (the trial court), circuit courts which are the first level of appeal, and the Supreme Court of the United States, the final level of appeal in the federal system.

On July 20, 1882 Congress passed H.R. No. 4166, authorizing the creation of two judicial districts in Iowa: Northern and Southern. It is believed the state was divided along north-south county lines because many of Iowa's main railroad lines ran east to west.

The U.S. district courts are the trial courts of the federal court system. The district courts can hear most federal cases, including civil and criminal cases. There are 94 federal judicial districts in the United States and its territories. Each district includes a U.S. bankruptcy court.

A Trial Information is a charging document containing the indictment against the defendant. The county attorney prepares this document, along with the Minutes of Testimony, which contains a list of the State's witnesses and a summary of the evidence.

Definition of a case number

A case number is a unique number assigned to a case by the court. The number makes it easier to track or retrieve the case. Knowing your case number also makes it easy to determine where and when the defendant filed the case.

The nature of the proceeding is abbreviated by a letter code. For example, “R” stands for a Rate case, and "RM" is a Rulemaking case. The letter code is then followed by the current year and the number of the case for that year. For example the 2^nd rate case for FY2009 would be Docket R2009-2.

How to look up a case with a citation. In the trial court, the first name listed is the plaintiff, the party bringing the suit. The name following the "v" is the defendant. If the case is appealed, the name of the petitioner (appellant) is usually listed first, and the name of the respondent (appellee) is listed second ...

This is the number assigned by the court to a court case. Judgments, child support orders, stipulations, and any other documents filed in the court action will have this number stamped or typed in the upper right-hand portion of the first page of each filed document.