Berrien County Trial Court Maintaining Public Access To Court Proceedings

berriencountycourthouse1-4
berriencountycourthouse1-4

The Berrien County Trial Court is making public access to court proceedings possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court has released the following statement:

Due to the Michigan Supreme Court’s Administrative Order 2020-6 which indicates that local courts must provide public access to the court through electronic means, we have implemented a process to allow individuals to request court recordings electronically during the state of emergency.

This process will allow for the accessibility required by the Supreme Court while we are closed to the public.

Individuals who desire to view the recording of a court proceeding which under normal circumstances would be open to the public can request a copy of that proceeding by contacting the Berrien County Trial Court. Requests can be made through the Berrien County Trial Court website at www.berriencounty.org/TrialCourt.

Requests will be completed within 24 hours of submission and will be sent to the requester electronically. Copies of court proceedings will be free of charge during this period.

The Berrien County Trial Court continues to operate essential functions only as outlined in the Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Order 2020-4. The buildings remain open for emergency filings from 8:30-1:00 daily and staff continue to process cases that are filed during this timeframe.

Non-essential hearings will resume upon the lifting of the Michigan Supreme Court Administrative Orders.

For additional information regarding the current functioning of the Berrien County Trial Court under COVID-19, please see the Trial Court’s website, COVID-19 section.