Locate Union County Circuit Court

Union County Circuit Court Overview

The Union County Circuit Court sits at the Union County Courthouse, 1105 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850. It is part of Oregon's 10th Judicial District and shares judges with Wallowa County. OJD identifies Thomas B. Powers as Presiding Judge and Jared D. Boyd as Circuit Court Judge. Michelle Leonard is the Trial Court Administrator and ADA contact at 541-962-9500 x52. The general court phone is 541-962-9500.

The courthouse was built in 2016 and modeled after the original Union County courthouse built in 1905. All visitors must pass through a security checkpoint to enter the building. A filing drop box is located at 1105 K Avenue and is checked daily at 5 p.m. Items left between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. are treated as received that same business day. Items left after 5 p.m. are treated as received the next business day.

Union County Court Table

Union County does not have multiple numbered Circuit Courts like some states. The primary state trial court is one Circuit Court location in La Grande. Related local courts and federal courts are separate systems. The table keeps the researched courts together so a person can identify the likely record holder before searching.

Union County Circuit Court Cases

Union County Circuit Court is the place to check for state trial-court matters filed in Union County. The research identifies criminal, civil, family, divorce, probate, protective-order, and many traffic or violation matters as Circuit Court case types. The case record may include pleadings, motions, hearings, orders, judgments, payment records, docket entries, and the register of actions. Court access depends on whether the material is public, confidential, sealed, or redacted.

• Criminal files can include charges, arraignment, pleas, motions, disposition, judgment, sentence, fines, and restitution.
• Civil files can include complaints, answers, motions, orders, judgments, garnishments, and collection activity.
• Family files can include divorce, legal separation, custody, parenting time, support, enforcement, and modification records.
• Probate files can include estates, wills, personal representative appointments, guardianship, and conservatorship records.
• Traffic cases can route to Circuit Court only when the citation lists Union County Circuit Court as the court location.

Union County Court Comparison

Venue is one of the most important local facts. A person with a citation, warrant, payment issue, or court date should read the court name on the paper or notice before searching. Oregon's state-funded judicial branch is separate from municipal, justice, county, federal, and tribal courts, even when those courts operate in the same county.

Union County Case Flow

A case's path depends on the type of case and the court that receives it. Criminal cases may begin with arrest or citation and then move into prosecutor filing, arraignment, plea, motions, trial, disposition, sentencing, and appeal. Civil and family matters begin with a filing, service, response, hearings or trial, judgment, and post-judgment steps. Probate cases often start with a petition and move through appointment, inventory, notices, claims, accountings, and final order.

State case flow: Filing or charge › Circuit Court case record › hearings and orders › judgment or disposition › Oregon Court of Appeals where appeal is allowed › Oregon Supreme Court where review is granted or required.

Local citation flow: Citation issued › court location checked › Circuit Court, Justice Court, or Municipal Court route › plea, payment, hearing, or trial › default, disposition, or appeal path.

Union County Circuit Court Records

Union County Circuit Court records are accessed through OJD and local court staff. OECI contains the Register of Actions and identifies itself as the official ORS 7.020 register for Oregon circuit courts and the Tax Court. Free OJD records and calendar tools can provide basic case information and court dates. OJCIN Online is a subscription or account-based route for Oregon circuit court and appellate records. Public documents may be reviewed on courthouse kiosk computers when available.

Older nondigitized files may require a retrieval request. Certified copies are complete filed documents sworn true by a court clerk. Exemplified copies, sometimes called three-way certificates, require clerk and presiding judge authentication and add processing time. Adoption and juvenile cases are confidential, and sealed records or protected data can be withheld or redacted. Broader public-record law is summarized by the Oregon Department of Justice at Oregon public records law guidance.

That state guidance helps separate general public-body records from the court-record processes maintained by OJD and local court staff.

Union County Specialty Programs

Union County Circuit Court's local OJD navigation lists Adult Treatment Court and Behavioral Health Court under Programs and Services. The official pages reviewed confirm the program categories but did not publish detailed Union County eligibility rules, program length, graduation requirements, or referral criteria. That means the court can be named as having the programs, but detailed program claims should be confirmed with court staff.

Adult Treatment Court should be treated as a local Circuit Court program because OJD lists it. Behavioral Health Court is also listed as a local program. These are problem-solving court programs, but current local eligibility and referral rules should come from the court. The local treatment-court environment also connects to county public-safety planning, including a 2024 commissioner discussion of a detoxification and stabilization center project using opioid settlement funds.

Oregon Court Hierarchy

Oregon's state-funded court system includes circuit courts, the Oregon Tax Court, the Oregon Court of Appeals, and the Oregon Supreme Court. Union County Circuit Court is the local state trial court. Appeals from Union County Circuit Court generally move into Oregon's appellate system, beginning with the Oregon Court of Appeals unless a particular case type or statute routes differently. The Oregon Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the state system.

Oregon court records law is rooted in the court register. ORS chapter 7 includes the court-record and register provisions, and OECI identifies the Register of Actions as the official ORS 7.020 register for Oregon circuit courts and the Tax Court. The statute source appears at ORS chapter 7 court records and registers.

That register concept explains why docket events, dispositions, and court actions can be searched separately from full document copies.

Federal Court Distinction

Federal court is separate from Union County Circuit Court. Federal civil, criminal, bankruptcy, and appellate matters do not use the OJD Circuit Court record system. Union County is in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, with the Pendleton Division serving northeastern Oregon as the closest divisional federal courthouse. Federal filings and docket access use PACER and CM/ECF, not OECI.

The Office of the Federal Public Defender, District of Oregon, is a separate federal defense resource and is not the same as state public defense for Union County Circuit Court criminal cases. The federal defender office source appears at Federal Public Defender District of Oregon office information.

The federal public defender image reinforces the boundary between Oregon state trial-court records and federal criminal court systems.