Randolph County Court Docket
Randolph County court docket records are filed with the 20th Judicial Circuit Court Clerk in Chester, Illinois, covering civil, criminal, family, traffic, and probate matters for this southwestern Illinois county of about 30,000 residents along the Mississippi River. The clerk's office at 1 Taylor Street in Chester is the official keeper of all court records for Randolph County, with free online case search available through Illinois statewide platforms for most public case types.
Randolph County Quick Facts
Randolph County Circuit Court Clerk
Julie A. Carnahan is the Randolph County Circuit Court Clerk. The office is at #1 Taylor Street, Room 302, Chester, IL 62233. Phone: 618-826-5000. Fax: 618-826-3761. The clerk's office handles all court filings and maintains the official docket for every case filed in Randolph County circuit court.
If you need to look up a case, get a copy of a court order, or request a certified judgment, the clerk's office in Chester is where you go. Staff can pull files for in-person review during regular office hours. Certified copies have the court's official seal and are required for legal transactions. Plain copies cost less and are fine for most research needs. Call ahead at 618-826-5000 to confirm hours and fees.
| Clerk | Julie A. Carnahan |
|---|---|
| Address | #1 Taylor Street, Room 302, Chester, IL 62233 |
| Phone | 618-826-5000 |
| Fax | 618-826-3761 |
| Judicial Circuit | 20th Judicial Circuit |
Randolph County is in the 20th Judicial Circuit. Illinois has 24 circuits outside of Cook County, and the 20th covers this part of southwestern Illinois. The circuit has a chief judge and local rules for filing procedures, document requirements, and scheduling. Review the 20th Circuit's local rules before filing anything in Randolph County to make sure your submission meets the required standards.
Randolph County Court Docket Online Tools
Randolph County is part of the Judici.com network, which gives the public free access to case dockets for 82 Illinois counties. You can search Randolph County cases by party name or case number and see case type, filing date, events, and upcoming hearing dates. No account is needed and there is no fee.
The Illinois Courts website is the official state portal for court access. It connects to the e-filing system, the clerk directory, and public access information. The re:SearchIL portal provides free document access for Illinois Supreme Court and Appellate Court filings since May 2025. If a Randolph County case was appealed, re:SearchIL may have the appellate documents. Trial court records remain with the clerk's office in Chester.
Illinois rules limit remote access to certain case types. Eviction, family law, foreclosure, guardianship, probate, small claims, traffic, and orders of protection are excluded from online dockets. Those records may be public at the courthouse but cannot be accessed remotely. Records that are permanently restricted include juvenile cases, adoptions, sealed and expunged files, and documents with protected personal information.
The Judici portal is shown below, captured from judici.com. Randolph County is one of 82 Illinois counties available for free court docket search through this platform.
Judici shows case summaries, event histories, and scheduled hearing dates for Randolph County cases with no account or fee required.
Case Types in the Randolph County Court Docket
Randolph County circuit court handles civil, criminal, family, probate, and traffic cases. Civil law matters include contract disputes, personal injury claims, property cases, and debt collection actions. Chancery cases cover equity matters such as mortgage foreclosures and injunctions. Domestic relations includes divorce, custody, support, and orders of protection. Probate handles wills, estates, and guardianship proceedings.
Criminal filings in the circuit court include felonies and misdemeanors. Traffic violations are also part of the docket. Each case type is maintained separately in the clerk's records. If you are searching for a specific type of case, the clerk can help you identify the right index to search. The clerk's staff at 618-826-5000 can also tell you which court calls cover which case types and when they are scheduled.
Civil filing in Illinois is mandatory through the electronic system. The platform is eFileIL at efile.illinoiscourts.gov. Illinois has 17 approved Electronic Filing Service Providers, and Randolph County filers use this system like every other county in the state. For people filing without a lawyer, the Illinois Courts self-help page explains how to navigate the e-filing system step by step.
How to Get Randolph County Court Records
In-person access at Room 302 in Chester is the fastest way to get records. Staff can pull a case, let you review the file, and make copies. Bring a case number or party names. Certified copies are available with the court seal. Plain copies cost less. Call the clerk at 618-826-5000 before visiting to confirm what you need and the current fee schedule.
Mail requests are accepted. Write to #1 Taylor Street, Room 302, Chester, IL 62233. Include the case number or party names, what you are requesting, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and payment. Contact the clerk first if you are unsure about fees or what to include. For archived older cases, ask how long retrieval takes before mailing your request.
Court records in Illinois do not show arrests that did not result in charges. The docket only reflects cases that were actually filed and prosecuted. The judicial branch is not subject to FOIA (5 ILCS 140), so you cannot file a FOIA request for court records. The Illinois Legal Aid guide to court records walks through all of this and is worth reading before you contact the clerk's office.
Randolph County Court Docket and the Illinois Judicial System
Illinois has 24 judicial circuits outside of Cook County. Randolph County is in the 20th Circuit. Each circuit has a chief judge who oversees court administration and issues local rules that govern filings and procedures for all counties in the circuit. Randolph County cases are subject to the 20th Circuit's local rules as well as statewide Illinois Supreme Court rules.
The Illinois circuit clerk directory maintained by the Illinois Supreme Court lists all county clerks by district and circuit. Randolph County appears under the 20th Circuit. Use the directory to confirm current contact details or to locate another county clerk in the region.
The Illinois Courts circuit clerk directory is shown below, captured from illinoiscourts.gov. The directory lists Randolph County under the 20th Judicial Circuit.
The directory is accurate and current, listing contact information for all 102 county circuit court clerks in Illinois.
Cities in Randolph County
Chester is the county seat and largest city in Randolph County. Other communities include Sparta, Red Bud, Steeleville, and Evansville. None of these cities meets the population threshold for individual pages on this site. All court docket records for Randolph County residents and businesses, regardless of city, are filed with the circuit court clerk in Chester at #1 Taylor Street.
Nearby Counties
Randolph County borders three other Illinois counties in southwestern Illinois.