Lake County Circuit and Superior Courts

Lake County Circuit and Superior Courts Overview

The Lake Circuit Court is a constitutional trial court of general jurisdiction and the Circuit Court for Indiana's 31st Judicial Circuit. It has operated since the county formed in 1837. In local practice it hears civil matters, including divorce, child support, probate, guardianship, and tax-sale proceedings. The Lake Superior Court carries much of the rest of the docket through several divisions.

These two courts share jurisdiction rather than stacking above each other. The Circuit Court and the Superior Court each hold trial-level authority, while appeals from both go up to the Indiana Court of Appeals. The Superior Court's civil, county, criminal, and juvenile divisions sit in courtrooms across the county, which is why a Lake County case can be heard in any of four cities.

List of Lake County Court Rooms

The county's trial courts run through numbered rooms by division. The Circuit Court sits in Crown Point, while Superior Court civil, county, and criminal rooms are spread across Crown Point, Hammond, East Chicago, and Gary. The table lists the rooms and their phone numbers from the county directory.

Note: Court Security covers four courthouse locations, in Crown Point, Hammond, East Chicago, and Gary, so confirm the room and city before a hearing.

Why Lake County Has Multiple Court Locations

Lake County sits in Indiana's northwest corner, inside the Chicago metropolitan area, with urban, suburban, and rural areas and heavy interstate and rail traffic. That population and geography produce a broad, busy docket, which is why the court system is spread across four cities rather than housed in a single building.

The footprint is large by Indiana standards. The clerk runs four service locations, and the sheriff's Court Security uses 18 officers to cover four courthouse locations in Crown Point, Hammond, East Chicago, and Gary. For a member of the public, the practical lesson is simple: a Lake County case may be heard in any of those cities, so confirm the court and room before you go rather than assuming everything is in Crown Point.

Circuit Court vs Superior Court vs City and Town Courts

Indiana's structure differs from states that use a district court and justice courts. Lake County's trial level is split between the Circuit Court and the Superior Court, with city and town courts handling local matters. The comparison shows how they line up.

How a Case Moves Through the Lake County System

Cases follow a predictable path, though criminal and civil cases differ. A criminal case starts with an arrest and runs through to any appeal, while a civil case starts with a filed petition. Appeals from either go to the Indiana Court of Appeals, with the Indiana Supreme Court as the last step.

Criminal flow: Arrest › First Appearance › Charges Filed › Arraignment › Pretrial › Trial › Sentencing › Appeal

Civil flow: Petition Filed › Answer › Discovery › Hearings › Trial › Judgment › Appeal

Appeals: Lake Trial Court › Indiana Court of Appeals › Indiana Supreme Court

Civil, County, Criminal, and Juvenile Divisions

The Lake Superior Court is organized into divisions, each handling a slice of the docket. The civil division hears property rights, accidents, contracts, malpractice, foreclosures, collections, protective orders, and name changes. The county division handles county-level criminal, small claims, and related matters, including a small claims docket and a probation department. The criminal division runs the felony and misdemeanor rooms in Crown Point.

The Juvenile Division is a court of limited jurisdiction. It receives CHINS, termination of parental rights, delinquency and status offenses, paternity, adoptions, guardianships, grandparent visitation, informal adjustments, and collaborative care. Its records are heavily restricted under Indiana juvenile law, which is why juvenile cases show little or nothing in the public portal. The Juvenile Division operates from the Juvenile Justice Complex on the west side of Crown Point, apart from the main government center.

The 31st Judicial Circuit

The Lake Circuit Court is the Circuit Court for Indiana's 31st Judicial Circuit, covering Lake County. It has one elected judge serving a six-year term, along with magistrates and a Probate Commissioner appointed by the judge. The court's bench includes Judge Marissa J. McDermott, and Jewell Harris serves as Probate Commissioner. The court has run since 1837, making it one of the county's oldest institutions. Because the Circuit Court shares jurisdiction with the Superior Court, a civil filing in Lake County may land in either court depending on the case type and local assignment rules.

Appeals from the circuit go to the Indiana Court of Appeals, with the Indiana Supreme Court as the court of last resort. The Circuit Court also oversees a Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau tied to its family-law work.

Magistrates and City and Town Courts

Not every matter is decided by an elected judge. Magistrates assist the Circuit Court, and the Probate Commissioner handles probate proceedings, which spreads the workload across a busy docket. The Circuit Court hours run Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, with a midday closure from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM.

City and town courts handle local ordinance violations and some traffic matters where they exist. The county directory confirms a Schererville Town Court, among others. These courts are the entry point for minor local cases, with appeals moving up into the county court system. A defendant in a city or town court matter who wants the case reheard generally moves it into the Superior Court.

Federal Courts for Lake County

Federal cases arising in Lake County are entirely separate from the Circuit and Superior Court. They route to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, with the federal courthouse in Hammond serving the area. Federal matters include federal criminal prosecutions, civil-rights cases, and other federal-question lawsuits.

The Northern District of Indiana posts its information on the district court site.

Federal case records are filed and accessed through the court's electronic system rather than Indiana MyCase.

That electronic case filing system is the CM/ECF portal for the Northern District of Indiana.

Public access to most federal documents goes through PACER, the national federal court records account system.

PACER is a paid service, and appeals from the district court go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Bankruptcy matters are handled by a separate U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Indiana, distinct from the county's probate and civil courts.

Related Lake County Resources

For dockets and case lookup, see court records and court dockets. For filing and certified copies, see the Clerk of Court, and for probate matters heard here, the probate records page.