Hyrum (Utah) Justice Court dockets, 1898-1993

This series contains pre-printed bound volumes used to record cases handled by the justice court. The earliest book held by the Archives includes both civil and criminal cases. The later books have space allotted for civil cases, but those cases must have been recorded elsewhere, since it appears that those volumes were used solely for criminal cases.

In the earliest book civil cases typically involve disputes over payment of money. Criminal cases involve charges for such offenses as reckless driving, fighting, drunkeness, disturbing the peace, petit larceny, and assault.

By the late 1940s the cases heard by the justice court still included some of the same charges such as drunkeness and disturbing the peace, but the majority of cases involved motor vehicle related violations, such as speeding, driving without a license, and running stop signs. In the 1970s cases were overwhelmingly traffic related, including some charges of "driving under the influence." Some of the dockets from the 1970s contain documentation of DUI cases, including breathalyzer reports and Alcoholics Anonymous meeting attendance verification. The latest docket books were devoted primarily to parking and traffic violations, along with citations for unlicensed or loose dogs. The series documents the evolution of work handled by the justice court over time.

Each entry in the dockets typically records such information as the name of the justice of the peace, names of the parties involved, the issue or charge, a list of documents filed in the case, a list of court costs, and a summary of the proceedings.