What Is a St. Clair County Court Docket
A docket is the official index of activity in a single case. It lists each event in date order, from the day the case opened to its final disposition. Every filing, hearing, order, and judgment gets its own line. Think of it as the table of contents for the case. The docket does not hold the documents themselves. It records that they exist, when they arrived, and who filed them. In St. Clair County, the same idea applies whether the matter sits in the 31st Circuit Court, the 72nd District Court, or the Probate Court.
A full case file is different. The file contains the actual complaints, motions, exhibits, and signed orders. The docket points to those papers with short entries and dates. That distinction matters when you plan a request. A docket can tell you a motion was filed and later denied. The file tells you what the motion argued and why the judge ruled as it did. Michigan treats trial court case records as open to the public unless a statute, a court rule, or a protective order limits access, a framework the state explains on its records management page.
How to Find St. Clair County Dockets Online
The county routes all docket and calendar traffic through one page. The Court Schedules and Records page links to Circuit Records and Schedules, District Case Records, District Schedules, Probate Case Records, and Probate Schedules. Starting there keeps you out of guesswork and away from third-party sites. The right link depends on the court that holds the case. Pick the court first, then follow its link into the correct system.
Circuit matters use the St. Clair County Web Inquiry system. District and probate matters use the statewide MiCOURT Case Search where those courts take part. The steps below walk through a typical lookup.
- Open the county Court Schedules and Records page and read the list of court systems.
- Choose your court level. Felonies, divorce, family matters, large civil suits, and appeals from district court are 31st Circuit Court cases. Traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, and landlord-tenant matters are 72nd District Court cases. Estates and guardianships are Probate Court cases.
- For circuit cases, follow the Circuit Records and Schedules link into the St. Clair County Web Inquiry system and accept the public-access agreement.
- For district or probate cases, open MiCOURT Case Search, select the St. Clair County court, and clear the security check.
- Search by party name or case number. The circuit case number follows the format 99-000000-XX.
- Open the case and read the docket entries in date order to find hearings, filings, and rulings.
Note: MiCOURT works as a public index, so a case may appear without every document image being available to download.
Reading a St. Clair County Docket Entry
Each docket line marks one step in the case. The wording is short, but the pattern repeats across courts. Once you know the common event types, the timeline reads cleanly. A criminal docket moves from complaint and arraignment toward plea, trial, and sentencing. A civil or family docket moves from the first filing through motions and orders to judgment. The table below breaks down the docket events found in St. Clair County case records and explains what each one signals.
| Docket Event | What It Shows |
|---|---|
| Hearing Scheduled | A court date is set, with a time, judge, and room assigned to the case. |
| Motion Filed | A party asked the court to act, such as a request to dismiss, compel, or set bond. |
| Order Entered | The judge issued a ruling or direction that becomes part of the record. |
| Judgment | The court reached a final decision on the claim or charge. |
| Adjournment or Continuance | A scheduled date was moved to a later day. |
| Sentencing | In a criminal case, the court imposed penalties after a plea or verdict. |
| Dismissal | A charge or claim was dropped or thrown out, closing that part of the case. |
Financial lines can appear too, covering fines, costs, restitution, and bond. Together these entries show whether a case is active, adjourned, or closed.
Courts That Publish St. Clair County Dockets
Not every court posts its calendar in the same place. The county page separates schedules by court so each link lands you in the right system. Knowing which court owns your case saves a wasted search. A district traffic ticket and a circuit felony do not share a portal, a clerk, or a case category.
- 31st Circuit Court publishes case records and schedules through St. Clair County Web Inquiry, covering felonies, large civil suits, divorce, and family division matters.
- 72nd District Court schedules route through the county District Schedules link and MiCOURT, covering traffic, misdemeanors, small claims, and landlord-tenant cases in Port Huron and the Marine City branch.
- St. Clair County Probate Court posts through the Probate Schedules and Probate Case Records links for estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and mental-health proceedings.
The County Clerk retains only 31st Circuit Court records. District and probate calendars stay with those court offices and the statewide system. That split is easy to miss, and assuming one office holds every court file leads people to the wrong counter. For the underlying case papers behind any docket line, see the county court records options.
Docket vs. Full Case Record
A docket and a case record serve different jobs. The docket is a public timeline you can scan in seconds. The full record is the stack of documents that proves what happened. Many users only need the docket to see the next hearing or the outcome. Legal review, appeals, and evidence work need the underlying file. The comparison below lays out where they differ.
| Docket | Full Case Record | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | List of dated entries | Complete documents and exhibits |
| Access | Often online through the court system | May require a copy fee or office visit |
| Use | Track case progress and dates | Legal review, appeals, and evidence |
| Held By | Court case system and web inquiry | County Clerk for circuit, court office for district and probate |
Note: the online docket is informational only and does not replace the official record on file with the court, so certified copies still come from the record-holding office.
How to Confirm a St. Clair County Hearing Date
Online dockets update on their own schedule, and a date can move after you last checked. Adjournments and continuances happen often. Before you travel to the courthouse, confirm the date, time, and room. A quick call to the right court office prevents a missed appearance or a wasted trip. The steps below cover a reliable check.
- Look up the case in the correct system and note the case number, judge, and listed hearing date.
- Confirm which court holds the case, since circuit, district, and probate offices keep separate calendars.
- Call that court office directly. Use the traffic and criminal or the civil line for district cases, and the main court line for circuit or probate cases.
- Give the clerk the case number and party name so the office can pull the current schedule.
- Ask for the date, time, courtroom, and assigned judge, and whether any adjournment has been entered.
- Arrive early and check the posted daily docket outside the courtroom for last-minute changes.
St. Clair County Hearing Rooms and Judges
A docket entry that reads "hearing scheduled" always names a judge and a room. Most proceedings sit inside the main courthouse at 201 McMorran Boulevard in Port Huron, with one district branch downriver in Marine City. The county Court Directory lists judicial officers by room, which helps you match a docket line to a physical courtroom. The judges and rooms below appear across circuit, district, and probate dockets.
| Judge | Court | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Hon. Daniel A. Damman | 31st Circuit Court | Room 3100 |
| Hon. Cynthia A. Lane | 31st Circuit Court | Room 3200 |
| Hon. Michael L. West | 31st Circuit Court | Room 3500 |
| Hon. John D. Monaghan | 72nd District Court | Room 2400 |
| Hon. Mona S. Armstrong | 72nd District Court | Room 2400 |
| Hon. Michael L. Hulewicz | 72nd District Court, Marine City | 2088 S. Parker |
| Hon. Jennifer Smith Deegan | Probate Court | Room 2200 |
| Hon. John D. Tomlinson | Probate Court | Room 2600 |
The general District Court counter sits in Room 2900, and the Probate Court office is in Room 2700. The 31st Circuit Court page carries jurisdiction and case-record links for cases assigned to the circuit judges, described further on the county Circuit Court overview.
Media Coverage in St. Clair County Courtrooms
Court dockets are public, but recording a live hearing is tightly controlled. A local administrative order governs media coverage in the 31st Circuit Court, the 72nd District Court, and the St. Clair County Probate Court. Anyone who wants to film or photograph a proceeding must ask in advance and follow strict limits inside the courtroom. The rules protect participants who have a right to privacy during court business.
Media coverage requires a written request on SCAO form MC-27 filed at least three business days before the proceeding. Jurors and jury selection may not be filmed, and juvenile witnesses may not be filmed. The judge has sole discretion to limit, suspend, or terminate coverage.
Only one video camera and one still camera are allowed unless the judge approves more, and equipment must stay at the rear of the courtroom. Lighting, flash, and wireless microphones in the litigation area are not permitted. Outside an approved request, media equipment is barred from courtrooms, court offices, and public courthouse areas. The full policy sits on the county media coverage page.
Appellate and Federal Docket Channels
Some St. Clair County cases move beyond the local trial courts, and those dockets live in separate systems. When a party appeals a 31st Circuit Court decision, the case travels to the Michigan Court of Appeals and can reach the Michigan Supreme Court. The appellate docket is not part of county web inquiry. Michigan runs its intermediate appellate court through its own state site, shown below.
The state publishes appellate case information through the Michigan Court of Appeals site, which tracks cases on appeal from St. Clair County trial courts.
Appellate dockets show the same event pattern as trial dockets, with filings, orders, and opinions listed by date, so a reader who understands a circuit docket can follow a case up the ladder.
Federal cases are a different track entirely. St. Clair County sits in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, which holds sessions at a Port Huron federal courthouse and several other locations. A state felony, divorce, or traffic ticket does not become a federal case because a resident lives in the county. Federal matters cover federal crimes, bankruptcy, and federal-question civil suits.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan posts case and docket access through PACER and CM/ECF rather than any county system.
Federal appellate, district, and bankruptcy dockets are searchable through the PACER court lookup for the Eastern District, which includes a Port Huron divisional office.
Free alternatives exist for federal and appellate research. CourtListener collects opinions and dockets from many courts at no charge, which helps when a PACER account is not handy. It does not replace the official record, but it is a useful starting point for older or published matters.
The CourtListener research tool offers free access to federal and state opinions and dockets, a helpful supplement to St. Clair County and federal court systems.
Between the county Court Schedules and Records page, MiCOURT, the appellate site, and PACER, nearly every St. Clair County docket has a public path to follow.