Municipal Court Annual Reports, 1945-2000

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Washington (State). Municipal Court (Seattle)
Title
Municipal Court Annual Reports
Dates
1945-2000 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.4 cubic feet, (1 box)
Collection Number
1802-J4
Summary
Annual reports of the Municipal Court of Seattle. Also included are Municipal Traffic Court and Traffic Violations Bureau reports.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The first judicial officer for Seattle was appointed by the City Council in 1875 from among the King County Justices of the Peace serving the Seattle Precinct. In 1886, a charter amendment made each Seattle Precinct Justice a Police Justice with jurisdiction over ordinance violations. The 1890 Freeholders Charter officially established a Police Court in the city. This provision was repealed in 1892, after an 1891 state law created a Municipal Court system that included a Justice Court and Police Court. The Police Court was a "court of limited jurisdiction" under the purview of the city of Seattle. (In contrast, the county was the parent agency for the Justice Court.) One of the justices of the peace in the Seattle Precinct was appointed to serve on the Police Court in addition to his duties on the Justice Court. The Police Court heard violations of state law that occurred within the city limits, as well as violations of City ordinances. It dealt with misdemeanors, traffic offenses, minor civil suits, and small claims, and also heard liquor-related cases during Prohibition.

The Police Court was called by varying names over the years. Before 1891, it seems to generally have been known as the Police Court. From 1891 to 1897, it was called the Municipal Court, and then again was referred to as the Police Court until 1928, when it was once again called the Municipal Court. It retained that name from then on, except for 1954-1955, when it was called the Municipal Police Court. The currently constituted Municipal Court was created in 1955 under Chapter 290 of the Washington State Laws. It has exclusive original jurisdiction over violations of all city ordinances, collects fines and forfeitures relating thereto, and hears cases related to misdemeanor defined by State statute that occur within the City limits. Municipal judges are elected by the qualified electors of the City of Seattle.

The Justice Court, also created by the 1891 state law, was a "court of limited jurisdiction" under the purview of King County. The justices of the peace on the bench of the Justice Court dealt with misdemeanors, traffic offenses, minor civil suits, and small claims, and also heard liquor-related cases during Prohibition. More serious cases were referred to the county's Superior Court. In 1961, the Washington State Justice Court Act combined the Justice Court and the District Court into one entity, a change that was adopted by King County in 1962.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Series includes Traffic Court reports, also called Judicial Department reports or Traffic Violations Bureau reports, and Municipal Court data. The reports include brief financial and statistical information. Beginning in 1974 the reports are published and contain more narrative regarding the activities and organization of the Court.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

CF Project. A Comptroller or Clerk File (CF) can consist of correspondence, reports, petitions, contracts, agreements, etc. from elected officials, City departments, other government agencies, or the general public, which have been placed "on file" with the Office of the City Clerk (OCC). They are primarily permanent records, but also include routine material which is periodically purged. Beginning in 1987, certain archival records identified in the CF have been removed, arranged into records series, and incorporated into the collection of the Seattle Municipal Archives, a program of the OCC. A single accession number, 1987-048, was assigned to the transfer of the CF to the Archives. The initial transfer included records dating from 1895. These records remain in the CF series until approximately 15 years after they were filed with the OCC, at which point they are removed to the Archives. The transfer of CF records to the Archives is routine and regular. New accession numbers are not created when these transfers are made.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Municipal Court Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-J4 Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1945
1 1 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1946
1 1 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1947
1 1 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1948
1 1 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1949
1 1 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1950
1 1 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1951
1 2 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1952
1 2 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1953
1 2 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1954
1 2 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1955
1 2 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1956
1 4 Municipal Court / Police Division Annual Report 1947
1 3 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1957
1 3 Municipal Court Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1962
1 3 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1963
1 3 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1964
1 3 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1965
1 3 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1966
1 3 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1967
1 3 Municipal Court / Traffic Violations Bureau Annual Report 1968
1 4 Municipal Court / Police Court Annual Report 1949
1 5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1962
1 5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1957
1 5 Municipal Court Annual Report (Dept. #1) 1958
1 5 Municipal Court Annual Report (Dept. #2) 1958
1 5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1959
1 5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1960
1 5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1961
1 6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1963
1 6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1964
1 6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1965
1 6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1966
1 6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1967
1 6 Municipal Court, Departments 1,2,3 Annual Report 1968
1 7 Municipal Court Annual Report 1969
1 7 Municipal Court Annual Report 1971
1 7 Municipal Court Annual Report 1974
1 7 Municipal Court Annual Report 1975
1 8 Municipal Court Annual Report 1981
1 8 Municipal Court Annual Report 1982
1 8 Municipal Court Annual Report 1983
1 9 Municipal Court Annual Report 1984
1 9 Municipal Court Annual Report 1986
1 9 Municipal Court Annual Report 1987
1 10 Municipal Court Annual Report 1988
1 11 Municipal Court Annual Report 1989
1 12 Municipal Court Annual Report 1990
1 13 Municipal Court Annual Report 1991
1 14 Municipal Court Annual Report 1993-1994
1 15 Municipal Court Annual Report 1999-2000

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Traffic Violations Bureau
  • Washington (State). Municipal Court (Seattle)

Geographical Names

  • Seattle
  • Seattle (Wash.)