Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Municipal Court Annual Reports, 1945-[ongoing]
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Seattle (Wash.). City Clerk
- Title
- Municipal Court Annual Reports
- Dates
- 1945-[ongoing] (inclusive)19459999
- 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
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
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical NoteReturn to Top
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 DescriptionReturn to Top
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 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
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Municipal Court Annual Reports, 1945-1994Return to Top
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 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Municipal courts--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Traffic violations--Washington (State)--Seattle
Geographical Names
- Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government
Form or Genre Terms
- Annual reports
Other Creators
-
Corporate Names
- Washington (State). Municipal Court (Seattle) (creator)