Guide to the Municipal Court Annual Reports
1945-[ongoing]

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Overview of the Collection

Creator: Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk
Title: Municipal Court Annual Reports
Dates: 1945-[ongoing] ( inclusive )
Quantity: .2 cubic foot (1 box)
Collection Number: 1802-J4
Summary: Annual reports of the Municipal Court of Seattle, 1945-1994. Also included are Municipal Traffic Court and Traffic Violations Bureau reports.
Repository: Seattle Municipal Archives

PO Box 94728
600 Fourth Avenue, Floor 3
Seattle, WA 98124-4728
Phone: 206/233-7807
Email: archives@seattle.gov
http://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives

Languages: Collection materials are in English. 
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical Note

The 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 and collects fines and forfeitures relating thereto. The first judicial officer of Seattle was appointed by 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. In 1891, State Law created a Municipal Court system that included a Justice Court and Police Court. Prior to establishment of the current court system, city ordinances were adjudicated in Police and Traffic Courts. Municipal Probation Service was established as part of the Municipal Court in 1968.

Content Description

Annual reports for the Municipal Court date from 1945-1994; annual reports will continue to be added to the series. When Municipal Probation Services published a separate annual report, it is filed with reports for the Municipal Court. Included with this series are annual reports for the Municipal Traffic Court and Traffic Violations Bureau, dating from 1945-1968.

Municipal Traffic Court and Traffic Violations Bureau Annual Reports include information on number of cases, amount of appeals paid, and fines, forfeitures, and fees collected, as well as statistics regarding tickets issued, persons books, cars impounded, and service calls. Some reports also include narrative. Also included in some reports are statistics on the types of traffic cases tried, as well as jail sentences and license suspensions and revocations.

Police Division reports contain statistics on arrests and cases filed; the report for 1949 cites public drunkenness as the primary reason for an increase in arrests from previous years.

Municipal Court annual reports contain statistics on number of cases, number of and outcome of appeals, fines and forfeitures, monies collected for various departments, and types of cases dealt with by the Justice Court. Later reports include administrative information on the court and case loads. Beginning in 1971, reports include narrative as well as statistics.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access :  

Records are open to the public.

Preferred Citation :  

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

Administrative Information

Arrangement :

Annual reports are arranged chronologically by year.

Custodial History :  

Records were originally filed with the City Clerk in the Comptroller/Clerk's Files (CFs) and were removed to create this record series.

Future Additions :  

Annual reports will continue to be added to the series.


Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Municipal Court Annual Reports, 1945-1994
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box/Folder
1/1 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1945
1/1 Municipal Traffic Cout / 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
1/1 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1952
1/1 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1953
1/1 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1954
1/1 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1955
1/1 Municipal Traffic Court Annual Report 1956
1/1 Municipal Traffic Court / Judicial Department Annual Report 1957
1/2 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1963
1/2 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1964
1/2 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1965
1/2 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1966
1/2 Municipal Court / Traffic Violators Bureau Annual Report 1967
1/2 Municipal Court / Traffic Violatiors Bureau Annual Report 1968
1/3 Municipal Court / Police Division Annual Report 1947
1/3 Municipal Court / Police Court Annual Report 1949
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1957
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report (Dept. #2) 1958
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report (Dept. #1) 1958
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1959
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1960
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1961
1/4 Municipal Court Traffic Violations Bureau Annual Report 1962
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1962
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1963
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1964
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1965
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1966
1/4 Municipal Court Annual Report 1967
1/4 Municipal Court, Departments 1,2,3 Annual Report 1968
1/5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1969
1/5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1971
1/5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1974
1/5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1975
1/5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1981
1/5 Municipal Court Annual Report 1982
1/6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1983
1/6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1984
1/6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1986
1/6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1987
1/6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1988
1/6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1989
1/6 Municipal Court Annual Report 1993-1994

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Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

    • Geographical Names :
    • Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government
    • Subject Terms :
    • Municipal courts--Washington (State)--Seattle
    • Traffic violations--Washington (State)--Seattle
      • Form or Genre Terms :
      • Annual reports
      • Other Creators :
      • Washington (State). Municipal Court (Seattle)

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