In 1828 the city of St. Louis opened its first courthouse. For more than 180 years Circuit Court has stood among the most storied and historically significant courts in America.

In 1850 a St. Louis jury granted Dred Scott, a Missouri slave, his freedom. That decision would eventually reach the United States Supreme Court and push the country into civil war.

Today, St. Louis Circuit Court conducts more than 300 jury trials a year (more than any other Missouri court), staffs a juvenile court and detention facility, operates a drug treatment court for nonviolent offenders and is active in public education through the city’s schools and community groups.

As it was in 1828, the Court remains committed to providing all people an open, fair, efficient, and independent system for the advancement of justice under the law and to efficiently and effectively carry out the duties bestowed upon us by the State of Missouri.