Judicial ethics prohibit judges from speaking directly with parties about their cases. 

Jurors must be randomly selected and summoned to be able to serve on a jury. You cannot volunteer for service. In Douglas County, jurors are randomly selected from a list of people with Douglas County addresses provided by the Kansas DMV.

Kansas law provides job protection for jurors. According to Kansas law, employers may not fire or threaten to fire an employee because of jury service. The court can provide documentation of jury service upon request.

If you are charged with a misdemeanor traffic offense, you must appear in court. Seat belt violations do not require a court appearance, even though they are often marked as misdemeanors on the tickets. If you were charged with no proof of insurance, but you had insurance at the time of the stop, you should contact the DA's office at 785-832-5321 in advance of your court date to provide them with your insurance information. They will then let you know if you need to appear in court or not.

You may wish to consult an attorney on any action you file or that is filed against you. In small claims court, an attorney cannot represent you, unless an individual, who is an attorney, is suing you. For more information, call the Access to Justice Advice Line at 1-800-675-5860.

Yes. The "court costs" in traffic cases are actually docket fees that must be paid whether or not you appear in court. Docket fees are used to defray the expenses of processing a court case from beginning to end.

Yes. It is impossible to predict the number of trials that will take place each week. Some of the jury trials that are scheduled are settled, dismissed, or otherwise resolved without requiring a jury. For this reason, we have implemented the juror call-in system. Jurors need to call 785-832-5108 after 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and Tuesdays during your jury service period, starting the Friday before your service starts.

Cases will usually be heard by juries of six or twelve jurors. A larger group, called a panel, will be sent to the courtroom where the jurors will be questioned by the lawyers in a process called Voir Dire (jury selection).

You can call the Access to Justice Advice Line at 1-800-675-5860. You also may want to consider Limited Scope Representation. 

You should fill out the Notice to Defendant (Earnings or Non-earnings) that accompanies the Order of Garnishment sent to your employer and/or bank and file it in the District Court division your case is assigned to. If you did not receive the Notice to Defendant from your employer or your bank, you should contact the plaintiff's attorney to obtain one. Once the Notice to Defendant is filed, a judge will determine if a hearing date should be set. You may want to consult an attorney on how to contest a garnishment. 

When getting your license from the Clerk of the District Court's office, state your desire to have a judge perform the ceremony, and you will be referred to the District Court Wedding Ceremony Scheduling Request Form to submit a request. You may also fill out and submit this form online. There is a $50 fee for this service. Additional fees apply for ceremonies held off-site, on weekends, or on holidays.

You may appear in court at the time specified on your ticket to request additional time to pay. Be sure to bring your copy of the ticket to court with you. If you fail to pay in full or appear in court by the date specified on your ticket, the court will send a letter to the address listed on your ticket informing you that you must pay in full within 30 days to avoid suspension of your driving privileges. If you are charged with a misdemeanor you must appear in court on the date specified on your ticket, but you will not necessarily have to pay anything on that date.

Kansas Statute Section 43-155 states –”The public policy of this state is declared to be that jury service is the solemn obligation of all qualified citizens, and that excuses from the discharge of this responsibility should be granted by the judges of the courts of this state only for reasons of compelling personal hardship or because requiring service would be contrary to the public welfare, health or safety.”  If you feel that that serving as a juror would be a hardship or is contrary to the public’s welfare, health or safety, you can request excusal only by complet

Small claims cases are filed in the Clerk's office, using forms available in the lobby and online at Small Claims. An instruction booklet, which details filing and post-judgment procedures, can be obtained in the Clerk's office. The maximum dollar value that can be requested in a small claims case is $4000, and the amount of the filing fee depends on the amount of damages for which you are suing. For damages up to $500, the filing fee is $49. For damages of $500.01 - $4000, the filing fee is $69.

You may fill out a Records Request Form by visiting the Clerk's office in person, or by submitting an Online Records Request Form. To submit your Records Request Form, you can mail it to Clerk of the District Court's Office - Records Dept., 111 E. 11th St., Lawrence, Kansas 66044. You may also fax a records request to 785-832-5174, or you may email your request to courtrecords@dgcoks.gov.

You must contact the Office of Vital Statistics at 785-296-1400 or visit the 'Office of Vital Statistics' website at https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1165/Office-of-Vital-Statistics. For information on acquiring a new marriage license, visit the Marriage and Divorce page.

Children may not come to court with you. The Douglas County Judicial Center does not provide daycare for jurors. You are responsible for arranging care for your children. Parents with children at home are not automatically excused from service.

For abuse occurring between intimate partners or household members, a restraining order may be obtained by filing a Protection from Abuse (PFA) case. The Clerk's office provides the forms and an instruction booklet for filing a PFA.

If you know the division in which you will appear, contact the administrative assistant in the appropriate division. Otherwise, please contact the District Court.

Criminal records go back to 1989, and civil records go back to 1992. 

The average trial lasts between one-and-a-half and two days.

Please call 785-832-5256 and press 1, then listen for the instructions to reach the person who handles the type of case you have. Please leave a message if you get voice mail; someone will return your call. 

The computer system is designed to randomly select jurors from a list of people with Douglas County addresses provided by the Kansas DMV.

In Douglas County, jurors 70 and over can opt to be permanently excused from Jury Service if they do not wish to serve.  If you receive a Juror Summons and will be over the age of 70 by the time your Jury Service is set to begin, you can request an excusal by either completing your Juror Questionnaire and requesting excusal for age, or by contacting the Jury Coordinator at jury@dgcoks.gov or by calling 785-832-5232.

Please contact the Jury Coordinator at Jury@dgcoks.gov or call 785-832-5213 for options on how to proceed.