Royal Oak Court Puts Cases, Other Info on Web: Report

ROYAL OAK, MI — The 44th District Court in Royal Oak is giving the public greater access to its docket and cases by making that information available online, according to a media report. Instead of calling the court, residents of Royal Oak and Berkley can click on a website to find out their court date or whether they have to pay a fine on a parking ticket, the Royal Oak Daily Tribune reported.

The 44th District Court is one of the first district courts in Michigan to adopt the new Judicial Information System, according to the Daily Tribune. Court Administrator Gary Dodge said residents can use the new system to pay fines before they're overdue, avoiding garnishment or other penalties.

The 44th District Court typically handles more than 115,000 cases a year; most involve parking tickets, the Daily Tribune reported. In the last year, the court dealt with about 4,200 criminal cases and 4,800 civil cases.

One goal of the Judicial Information System is to reduce the number of phone calls the courthouse receives each day on simple matters like court dates, fines and the status of cases, the Daily Tribune reported.

Along with each day’s docket, online visitors can access court cases by name or case number going back to 1998. The Judicial Information System can be accessed through the Royal Oak city government’s website at romi.gov under the Government tab or by clicking here.

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