Murray County District Court Overview
Minnesota has one general trial court level: District Court. Murray County District Court hears local trial-level cases in Slayton and belongs to the Fifth Judicial District. The Minnesota Supreme Court and Minnesota Court of Appeals sit above District Court, while the Fifth Judicial District provides regional administration for district courts in fifteen southwest Minnesota counties.
The District Court has original jurisdiction over civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, traffic, and conciliation cases filed in Murray County. Court Administration handles local case processing, public service, calendars, fines, fees, restitution, and court-ordered trusts. Appeals from Murray County District Court usually go to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, with possible discretionary review by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Murray County District Court
Murray County Courthouse
2500 28th Street
Slayton, MN 56172
(507) 873-7001
Murray County Court Administration
Murray County Courts Building
PO Box 57, 2848 Broadway Avenue
Slayton, MN 56172
507-831-7008
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
Murray County District Court Table
Murray County does not have multiple numbered district courts, county courts at law, justice courts, or municipal courts for court-record filing in the official sources reviewed. Local police agencies may enforce ordinances and issue citations, but filed court cases route to District Court or statewide payment and case systems.
| Court or office | Type | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murray County District Court | Trial court for civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, traffic, and conciliation cases | 2500 28th Street, Slayton, MN 56172 | (507) 873-7001 |
| Murray County Court Administration | Records, case processing, calendars, fines, fees, restitution, and court files | PO Box 57, 2848 Broadway Avenue, Slayton, MN 56172 | 507-831-7008 |
| Fifth Judicial District Administration | Administrative oversight for fifteen southwest Minnesota county district courts | District-level office, not a Murray case-hearing venue | Use county District Court for case questions |
Murray County Fifth Judicial District
The Fifth Judicial District page identifies the regional administrative district that includes Murray County. Administrative district staff do not replace the local courthouse for case-specific questions. A hearing, filing, copy request, or local calendar issue still belongs with Murray County District Court or Murray County Court Administration.
The Fifth Judicial District context helps explain why statewide systems, district administration, and local Court Administration all appear in Murray County court research. The court that hears the case remains the local District Court unless a matter moves by appeal, transfer, or federal jurisdiction.
Murray County District Court Cases
District Court case categories are broad. Civil cases include lawsuits, conciliation matters, harassment restraining orders, judgments, and housing actions. Family cases include dissolution, custody, parentage, parenting time, adoption, and orders for protection. Probate includes wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, and some probate or mental-health category matters.
Criminal cases include felonies, gross misdemeanors, misdemeanors, DWI cases, and related proceedings. Traffic cases include payable citations, required court appearances, juvenile traffic, and traffic charges that become criminal matters. Juvenile matters include delinquency, juvenile traffic, and child-protection cases, but public access is restricted by rule and statute.
| Case group | Typical Murray County filings | Record access note |
|---|---|---|
| Civil and conciliation | Small claims, civil lawsuits, judgments, housing, restraining orders | Many public records are searchable in MCRO. |
| Family | Divorce, custody, parentage, adoption, orders for protection | Some documents and party details are restricted remotely. |
| Probate | Estates, wills, guardianships, conservatorships, trusts | Public files may be searchable, but sensitive data can be limited. |
| Criminal and traffic | Felony, misdemeanor, DWI, citations, violation bureau matters | Pending cases may not display by defendant name without conviction. |
| Juvenile | Delinquency, CHIPS, juvenile traffic | Access is restricted and often not available remotely. |
Murray County District Court Compared
Some states split work among district, county, justice, municipal, probate, or clerk courts. Murray County's official court-record sources show a simpler Minnesota model. District Court is the trial court of general jurisdiction, and the local Court Administrator handles District Court files.
| Question | District Court | County or justice court | City police or payment systems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does it hear Murray County trial cases? | Yes, for civil, family, probate, juvenile, criminal, traffic, and conciliation. | No separate official court-record venue was located. | No. Enforcement or payment routing is separate from court filing. |
| Who keeps the case file? | Court Administration for District Court records. | Not applicable in the researched Murray court structure. | Police may hold incident data, not the District Court file. |
| Where are public cases searched? | MCRO and local Court Administration. | No county-built or justice-court portal found. | Payment Center may handle fines, not full court records. |
| Where do appeals go? | Minnesota Court of Appeals, with possible Supreme Court review. | Not applicable for local trial court records. | Not an appellate court. |
Murray County Case Flow
A case begins in Murray County District Court when a pleading, complaint, petition, citation, probate paper, or other initiating document is filed. Court Administration opens or processes the file, assigns a case number, calendars hearings, and records events in the statewide case-management system.
Criminal flow: Charge or citation › first appearance or Rule 8 hearing › pretrial › plea or trial › disposition › sentencing › appeal if taken.
Civil and family flow: Petition or complaint › answer or response › scheduling › motions or settlement work › hearing or trial › judgment or order › appeal if taken.
Probate flow: Petition or estate paper › case opening › notice and hearing if required › appointment or order › inventory and administration › closing or later court review.
Murray County Treatment Court
The Minnesota treatment-court county list identifies the Minnesota Cornerstone Drug Court: Pipestone-Murray Adult Drug Court. It is a specialized court calendar or program path connected to District Court work, not a separate records portal. The researched listing names coordinator Heather Kirchner, address 2500 28th Street, Slayton, MN 56172, and phone (507) 295-1019.
The treatment-court county list is the source for Murray County's shared Pipestone-Murray adult drug court entry.
Treatment court can affect criminal case conditions, compliance hearings, sanctions, incentives, and final outcomes. Public record users still search the underlying District Court case through the standard case-record channels.
Murray County Federal Court Distinction
Murray County is in the federal District of Minnesota for U.S. District Court purposes. Federal civil, criminal, habeas, Social Security, federal-question, diversity, tax, and agency cases are separate from Murray County District Court records. They use federal systems, federal clerk offices, CM/ECF, and PACER.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota is the official federal court site for Minnesota.
Use the federal site only when the case is federal. A Murray County divorce, probate, traffic citation, local criminal case, or civil conciliation matter remains a state District Court issue.
The federal District of Minnesota CM/ECF login is for federal electronic filing and docket access.
Public federal docket searches commonly use PACER rather than the state MCRO portal. MCRO does not search federal cases.
The manifest also assigns the PACER court lookup entry for the District of Minnesota.
PACER identifies the federal court, not Murray County District Court. It is useful only when the record sought is a federal docket or federal filing.
CourtListener can be a free legal-research alternative for opinions and some docket information where available.
CourtListener is not the official Murray County record custodian. It can help with legal research, while official state case records come from MCRO and Court Administration.